Rollercoaster
by Sasha.Rizzoli
Summary: What if it wasn't Kathy that Elliot got pregnant in high school. It was Olivia. AU story.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: What if it wasn't Kathy that Elliot got pregnant in high school. It was Olivia. Take the twisting, winding and challenging journey with them from the moment they meet to the moment they take their last breaths.**

**A/N: Here is another story I thought of. It's going to be a long story so reviews will be definitely appreciated if you want to see more. I wasn't going to post this until it was completed and beta-ed. But I kinda lost patience, so here it is.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone, I have just borrowed them and will return them ASAP....ASAP could be a long time though. LOL.**

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**Queens, New York**

**September 1983**

Sixteen year old Olivia Benson walked through the hallway of Queens High School for her first day of Sophomore year. She was tall and athletic with medium length, soft, dark brown hair, which curled just past her shoulders.

Looking for her English classroom, she was kind of lost. She was about to ask someone when she froze. In front of her was the most gorgeous creature,she had ever laid eyes on.

He was at least six foot tall, buff, with short brown hair and the most stunning cerulean blue eyes.

He smiled as he approached her and it was the most gorgeous smile too.

Olivia blushed.

"Hi, I'm Elliot. Are you lost?" he asked. His voice made her heart flutter. "Hello?" Elliot spoke up again, trying to get her attention.

Olivia shook her head and cleared her throat, coming out of her deep thoughts and perving. Maybe even a little drooling.

"Oh sorry. I'm Olivia. It's my first day, I just transferred from Manhattan."

"Such a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Nice to meet you," he said with a huge smile. "What class are you looking for?"

Olivia could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest. _Was is possible to fall in love in just a few minutes?_

"Ah..." She looked at the time table in her hand again. "English class, room fifteen," she replied softly, just loud enough for Elliot to hear over the loud chatter as people rushed past them, heading to their own classes.

"Come on, I'll show you where it is. I am heading that way myself. Tell me about yourself."

Olivia began to walk beside him. Her heart still thumping against her ribcage as Elliot's hand kept brushing against hers, sending shivers up her spine.

"Oh, there isn't much to know," she laughed, nervously. "Ah..My name is Olivia Benson. I'm sixteen and the only child to a single mother. You?"

"My name is Elliot Stabler. I'm seventeen and I have an older brother and sister and a younger sister," he introduced himself as they walked up the stairs.

The teens reached the class and Elliot stopped in front of Olivia. "Want to meet up at lunch to talk more? I'd love to get to know you better."

Olivia blushed with a smile. "Ah, sure, I'd love to."

"Ok, well this is your class right here. I'll meet you in the student car park at lunch. See you later."

Olivia nodded. "Thank you. See you," she replied and walked in to her first class.

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Lunch time finally came and Olivia headed toward the student car park, looking for the irresistible guy she'd fallen in love with just hours earlier.

"Olivia!" She heard someone call out her name.

Looking around, she caught sight of Elliot leaning against an old, black, four door sedan.

Olivia walked over to him with another blushing smile. "Hi. Are we going somewhere?" she asked, shyly.

"I was going to take you to a cafe a couple blocks away. Is that ok?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, sounds nice," she replied. Her heart pounding again.

Elliot walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for her like a gentleman. "Hop in."

Olivia walked over, nervously. "Can't we walk?"

"Ah sure. Sorry. I thought you might have wanted to go somewhere after the cafe," he apologized and shut the car door, locking it.

It was Olivia's turn to smile at Elliot's nervousness. She shyly placed her hand over his bigger, rougher one and looked in to his beautiful crystal blues. Getting lost in them.

They had only just met that morning but it felt like they had known each other for a very long time.

"It's ok, Elliot. We only just met this morning plus walking and talking would be nice," she told him softly and smiled when Elliot took her hand in his, entwining his fingers with hers.

The couple walked most of the way before Elliot spoke up, feeling the tension in Olivia's body, running down her arm, her hand, in to his body.

Stopping her, he tugged her arm so she was facing him. "What's going through this gorgeous head of yours?" he asked, softly, tapping her temple gently.

Olivia licked her dry lips and shook her head. "No...Nothing, I'm fine. Let's enjoy some lunch before we have to have back to school," she replied, distantly.

Elliot nodded, deciding it was to give her time and let this new friendship grow...hopefully into something much more.

Arriving at the cafe, Elliot and Olivia sat down at a nice shaded table for two out the front and started to look through the menus.

"What are you going to get, Liv?" Elliot asked, not realizing the slip of the tongue, calling her by a nickname already.

Olivia realized it and smiled. It sounded so sexy slipping from his mouth.

She looked up from the menu. "Just a chicken salad with ranch dressing and a small glass of orange juice. What are you having?"

Elliot looked from the menu that he was reading. "A steak and chips sounds good," he replied and put the menu down on top of the one Olivia had looked through, on the centre of the table.

Putting his hand up, he grabbed the attention of a nearby young waitress.

She looked like she was maybe twenty years old with blonde hair and emerald green eyes. "Hi. I'm Lila. What would you like today?"

"A chicken salad with ranch dressing, a small orange juice, steak; medium rare and chips and a bottle of water please," Elliot ordered for the both for them.

The waitress jotted down the order on her notepad.

"It will be about ten minutes," she informed them and walked away.

"So, what do you want to be when you finish high school?" Elliot asked, casually.

Olivia twiddled her thumbs on the table until Elliot stopped her by placing his hand over hers. "Don't be so nervous, Olivia. I'm not going to bite. Hard," he joked, trying to break the tension so Olivia would feel a little more comfortable.

Olivia exhaled slowly, embarrassed. "Sorry. Just not used to guys being nice to me," she explained, bowing her head, ignoring the waitress, who put down their drinks and walking away, to keep their privacy.

Reaching over the table, Elliot cupped her chin in his hand, lifting up her face. Olivia felt a bolt of electricity flow through her body and she became flushed.

Elliot caught the redness of Olivia's cheeks and smiled; he'd also felt something between the two of them.

"I don't know why not. You're so beautiful, nice and gentle. I know we only just met this morning but I have already noticed those three things about you," he told her, honestly.

Olivia blushed an even darker shade of red. "Thanks."

Elliot smiled and saw the waitress return with their meals. "Chicken salad?"

"Yes," Olivia said.

The waitress put the meal down in front of Olivia before placing Elliot's meal in front of him. "Enjoy," she said politely and walked away.

Letting go of Olivia's chin, Elliot grabbed his knife and fork as Olivia picked up her own fork. "So what do you want to be, huh? Tell me."

Olivia exhaled a deep shaky breath. "I want to go to college and then the police academy. I want to become a Special Victims detective."

Elliot smiled. "So do I. Except I want to take a year before going to college to go in to the marines," he told her. She was feeling a little more at ease now and was warming up to him.

"That sounds good," she said and took a bite of her chicken salad, realizing that she wasn't as hungry as she thought.

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Looking at her watch she realised it was nearly one o'clock, they need to head back to school but she didn't particularly want to go. She would only miss gym. It wouldn't matter since she ran a mile or two a day.

"We should hurry up and head back," Elliot said, after a few minutes of silent eating.

Olivia swallowed the masticated food in her mouth and shook her head. "I don't want to go back. Let's go get your car and spend the afternoon together."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Are...Are you sure?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. It's only gym. I'm not a fan of gym class. I don't like to change in front of people," she explained, sadly.

Elliot put his hand on top of Olivia's. "I think you need to get some things off your chest and a shoulder to cry on," he spoke softly, caressing the back of Olivia's hand with his thumb.

Olivia quickly shook her head. "No. No. You'll hate me when you find out, just like everyone else," she replied, freaking out.

"I won't, Liv. I promise," he said and got up, taking her hand.

Olivia let him help her up and they paid the bill before heading back to the school for Elliot's car.

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Some time later, Elliot pulled over in the car park of a nice, quiet, shady park.

"Where are we?" Olivia asked, lifting up her sunglasses so she could get a better look, before she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Peaceful Park," Elliot replied as he unbuckled his own belt. "I hope your mom isn't expecting you home at a certain time." He took his keys out of the ignition and turned to look at her.

Olivia shook her head scoffed. "She's an alcoholic, Elliot. She usually goes to a bar after work and gets sloshed. Comes home when the bar closes and she usually brings home some random guy."

"Oh," he replied, not knowing what to say. "So what moved you out here?"

Olivia bit her bottom lip. "She embarrassed me too much for me to go back to my old school," she explained. "She made a big scene in the middle of some school performance I was in. We still live in Manhattan though. I catch the subway down here."

Expecting Elliot to just ditch her in the middle of nowhere, she got out of the car and started to walk really fast down a path.

"Shit," Elliot cursed and quickly got out of the car, shutting the door behind him.

He locked the car and jogged down the path to catch up to Olivia.

_Shit, she had long legs. She was quick._

Finally, he caught up to her and stopped her by standing in front of her. He grabbed her biceps gently and Olivia fought against him.

"What the hell?!...Let me go, you son of a bitch!"

Elliot looked in to her beautiful chocolate brown orbs. He could see fury but behind that anger, he could see her. The real Olivia Benson. The pain, hurt, the betrayal she had endured, loneliness and the flicker of light, which was quickly burning out.

"Liv...Tell me what is happening...Please," he practically begged her.

Olivia quickly shook her head and a sob finally escaped from deep in her throat. "I can't," she cried.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her, embracing her in a hug and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. The shoulder she so desperately needed.

Wrapping her arms around him in response, she cried, taking him up on his offer. She hadn't had a good cry in such a long time.

Elliot rubbed her back, soothingly in roaming circles. "It's ok, Olivia. It's ok," he reassured her and went to hug her tighter but stopped, hearing her wince in pain. He pulled back. "Liv?...Liv, you ok?"

Olivia shook her head. "Promise not to leave or hate me, if I tell you?"

Nodding, Elliot guided her to a bench. "Of course I won't leave or hate you," he promised, not knowing what he was about to hear..

Olivia took a deep breath, trying to collect her courage. Most guys were disgusted and left her once they knew. "You have to promise me."

Elliot nodded, and placed a hand on her slender thigh, gently squeezing it. "Yes, Olivia. I promise."

"My mother was raped seventeen years ago...I am the product of that rape...She drinks away the pain because I am the daily reminder of it and she hits me as another coping mechanism."

"Wow...I was not expecting that," he said, honestly and felt Olivia tense up.

Knowing she was going to get up and leave, he gently squeezed her thigh again.

"No...Don't think about leaving. Stay right here," he told her, softly but firmly.

"Aren't you disgusted?" She asked, confused. All the other guys had stated their disgust and up and left her by this point.

"No, I'm not. Shocked, yes...Disgusted, no. Olivia..." He looked into her eyes giving her full eye contact and continued. "I don't care about how you got here, only that you are here and at how amazing and beautiful you are. Please don't let your conception define who you are."

Olivia shut her eyes and felt Elliot wipe away her tears with the pad of his thumb before opening her eyes again.

It was like the light in her eyes was shining a little brighter but it was going to take a long and painful time to get that light to its full brightness.

Elliot got up, taking her hand as she stood up behind him.

"What, Elliot?"

"You need to show me where you live," he said, casually, guiding her back to the car.

Olivia furrowed her brows. "Why?"

Elliot stopped. "I am taking you away from the abuse. You need your clothes."

Olivia froze.

_Was she finally going to get away from the beatings and cleaning up of vomit every night?  
_"Really?"

Elliot nodded. "My parents won't mind, we have a spare bedroom and my folks are licensed foster parents. Also, my dad is a detective. He could contact a friend of his in Special Victims to take the abuse case."

Olivia stopped Elliot this time. "I'll move in with you but I do not want my mother charged with abuse or neglect or anything like that. Please," she begged.

Elliot nodded reluctantly and guided her the rest of the way back to his car. "Ok, Liv. Ok."

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The car ride to Olivia's townhouse was quiet except for the radio playing the latest rock music.

"It's right here," Olivia said, pointing to the next red brick home coming up.

Elliot pulled up right in front and turned off the engine, taking out his keys. "You want me to come in with you?" he asked, taking off his seat belt.

Olivia took off her own and opened the door, the whole time mulling over the question just asked.

He wasn't disgusted about how she was conceived...In fact he offered to help her. He wasn't disgusted by the fact she had an alcoholic mother...So there wasn't any harm in letting him in, in fact with the two of them, they could pack and get out quicker.

"Sure," she finally replied and closed the car door behind her.

Elliot got out and locked up the car, quickly following her up to the front door.

He saw Olivia's hesitation before she unlocked the front door and opened it, allowing him to follow her in to the silent home.

"Ah, my bedroom is upstairs," she said and headed straight upstairs, hoping that he wouldn't look in to the living room.

If he did, he would see a dozen empty alcohol bottles, dirty plates and vomit stains in the carpet, which she was supposed to clean before her mom got home.

Serena was going to get a big shock when she got home to find her daughter not there and the place still messy.

Olivia was glad that she wouldn't see that.

She stopped in front of a closed door, at the end of the upstairs hallway, which displayed a poster of a big, popular band and a wooden name plate, 'Olivia' with flowers painted around the lettering.

Olivia opened her bedroom door and Elliot saw that it was the cleanest room that he had seen in the whole house. It was simple and it was Olivia's refuge away from her mother.

He saw a double bed against the wall to his right, a chest of drawers with a small mirror on the top to his left, a desk with a couple of text books on it, next to it and a couple of pairs of shoes under the desk.

Olivia passed him a small bag and pointed to a small cupboard next to her bed. "Could you please empty that drawer and cupboard underneath it?"

"Sure," Elliot replied and headed over to it as Olivia emptied her clothes drawers.

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As they made their quick dash down the stairs, the home phone rang and the answering machine picked it up.

An angry woman's voice came through. It was Olivia's mother.

"Olivia Quinn Benson answer this phone right now, young lady...I got a call saying you skipped your afternoon classes. When I get home, you are in so much fucking trouble, young lady," Serena scolded and hung up.

Olivia froze.

Elliot gently took a hold of her slim wrist and caressed her cheek with his other hand. "Let's go, huh?"

"I...I can't. I have to clean up."

Elliot sighed and caressed her cheek again, where her cheek bone stood out.

Olivia, you don't deserve to live like this. You aren't your mother's carer. She's supposed to be taking care of you," he told her softly but firmly.

Olivia nodded. "Take me away," she whispered. She was sick of missing out on her childhood.

He put Olivia's bags in the trunk of his car as she got in and comfortable in the passenger seat.

Once he shut the trunk, he got in the driver's seat and looked at Olivia. "Let's take you home, huh?"

Olivia sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Elliot."

"No problem," he replied, not taking his eyes off the road ahead and then a comfortable silence took over in the car, allowing Olivia to relax and shut her eyes.

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Elliot pulled up in to his driveway, happy to see his mother's red SUV parked in its usual spot.

He pulled on the park brake, turned off the engine and took out his keys, unbuckling his seatbelt before waking up his sleeping passenger.

Elliot put his hand on her thigh and caressed it, over her dark blue jeans.

"Olivia...Wake up, Olivia."

Olivia woke up startled and looked at Elliot, rubbing her eyes. "Shit," she muttered. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's ok. Let's go inside. We'll grab your stuff later," he told her and opened up the car door.

Olivia opened up the passenger door and got out, closing it behind her before following Elliot up the flower bordered path and into the lovely, welcoming two storey home.

"Mom!" Elliot called out and an Irish woman appeared from the kitchen.

She was tall and fit with long brown hair, which flowed to mid-back and Olivia caught a glimpse of deep blue eyes as she approached.

"Hey El," she greeted her son and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Who's your friend?"

"Mom, this is Olivia. Olivia, this is my mom," he introduced them to each other.

"Hi Olivia. Nice to meet you. You can call me Angie."

"Hi, Angie. Nice to meet you too," Olivia replied, shyly.

"Olivia needs a place to stay, mom."

"Oh, El. You could have given me some notice, couldn't you?"

"If it's too much, it doesn't matter. Elliot, can you please take me home? I have a lot of cleaning to do before my mom gets home."

"No, Olivia. You can't go back there. You can't go back to cleaning up her vomit and clearing her bottles of alcohol."

"My mom's going to be so mad, if she sees I haven't cleaned up."

"Elliot, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Angela said, "Olivia, take a seat on the couch, honey. We won't be long, ok?"

Olivia gulped and took a seat on the couch.

"I'll be right back," Elliot told her and followed his mom in to the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much for all those wonderful reviews. I hope I can get that many again. So if you want to see the next chapter please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

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Olivia sat nervously on the couch, looking around at happy family photos; her knee bouncing the whole time and her hands sweaty.

Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, Olivia smiled when Elliot and his mother finally returned.

Heading toward the staircase, Elliot said, "I'll just be upstairs, Olivia."

Confused, Olivia looked up at him. "What about me?"

"I would like to have a chat with you, Olivia," Angie told her gently.

Olivia looked around, anxiously. "I...I need to get home. Mom's going to be mad that I didn't clean up the house."

Angela nodded to her son and Elliot disappeared upstairs before she sat down on the couch beside Olivia.

Putting her hand on the teen's thigh to try calm her down a bit, she said, "Olivia, Elliot told me your story, honey... He said you winced in pain when he hugged you. Can you show me where it hurts?" she asked, cautiously.

Olivia shook her head, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"I'm a nurse, honey," she tried to reassure Olivia.

Olivia gulped and started to lift her t-shirt. There were bruises on her ribs and Angie also spotted cuts on her arms and quite a few cigarette burns on her stomach.

Angie gasped and Olivia put her t-shirt back down, with a painful sob.

Licking her lips nervously, Angie whispered, "Ok, honey. Why don't you head upstairs and get El to show you around the house?"

Olivia nodded and got up. "Thank you," she whispered.

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Walking up the stairs and looking around, Olivia stopped when she saw Elliot standing in the doorway of what she assumed was his bedroom.

Elliot could see the tears in her eyes.

Elliot walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her gently as to not accidentally hurt her again. "It's going to be ok. You're going to be able to live the life that you so rightfully deserve," he assured her. "My parents are going to help you and I'm here for you too."

Olivia snuggled into Elliot's chest and smiled when she felt him kiss the crown of her head.

After about ten minutes of standing there silently in each other's embrace, Elliot pulled back and kissed her forehead, glad that she smiled, even if it was only a small one.

"Let's give you the royal tour, huh?"

Nodding, Olivia allowed Elliot to take her hand.

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Once Elliot had shown Olivia where everything was, Angie walked out on to the back deck to find the teens sitting on the porch swing; her son with an arm around Olivia, comforting her.

"Olivia, I spoke to Elliot's father and they are going to go pick up your mom."

Olivia shot up straight. "What?! Oh no!" she said as she jumped up and ran toward the gate.

Running after her, Elliot called out, "Liv!"

He caught up to her just seconds before she would have been hit by an on-coming car.

"Let me go!" she screamed, fighting against him, as he pulled her from the road.

Elliot just held on to her firmly. "Olivia! Olivia, stop!"

"Let me go. Let me go," she cried but the fighting stopped.

"Come here, Liv," he whispered and turned her around in his arms, allowing her to bury her head in to his chest. "It needed to be done, Olivia. Your mom needs help. They will probably make her a deal."

Nodding in to Elliot's chest, she let him guide her back inside the house.

They were in his room but his mother told him to keep the door open, which they willingly accepted.

Sitting down on his bed, Elliot asked Olivia, "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Ah sure," Olivia replied, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Elliot took a gently hold of Olivia's slender wrist. "Come sit down, Olivia."

Nodding, Olivia slowly sat down on the bed beside him.

Elliot rubbed her thigh, in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm just going to put in a movie, ok?" he said, getting up. "Lay down. Get comfortable."

He quickly picked one and was about to put it in the VCR when he turned back to his bed to find Olivia curled up on the bed, with an arm squashed between her head and the pillow and the other hanging over the side of the bed, deeply asleep.

Smiling, Elliot tip-toed out of his bedroom, half closing the door behind him before heading downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Seeing her son enter alone, Angie asked, "Where's Olivia?"

"She fell asleep while I was picking a movie," he explained, getting a glass from the cupboard.

"She looked exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days," Angie said, stating what she had seen.

Elliot nodded in agreement. "Probably from cleaning up after her drunken mother."

"Who's drunken mother?" Elliot's youngest sister, Emily, asked, entering the kitchen.

"None of your business, Em, I was talking to mom."

"Oh well, I heard crying in your room. Who's in there?'

"El's new friend Olivia. She's going to be staying here for awhile," Angie told her daughter, as her son ran back up the stairs.

Elliot ran in to his bedroom to find Olivia in the midst of a nightmare; tossing and turning, dragging her long, sharp fingernails along her arms, drawing blood in its wake.

"No. Don't. Stop," she whimpered, dragging her nails along her arms again. Crimson red liquid seeping out in its path.

Elliot hadn't left her alone for long. A couple minutes maybe but this dream was so intense and he couldn't let her be stuck in it, especially as she just screamed.

Sitting down on the bed beside her, Elliot gently shook her. "Wake up...Olivia, wake up."

Still half stuck in her dream, Olivia's fist clenched and swung up without notice, colliding sharply with Elliot's jaw.

"Ow!" Elliot yelped in pain, holding where she had struck him.

Hearing Elliot's yelp, Olivia woke startled, shooting up in bed. "Huh? Oh shit, I fell asleep again. I'm sorry," she murmured and went to get off the bed.

Elliot stopped her. "No. Stop, Liv. It's alright."

"Oh God! Did I do that?" Olivia shrieked, seeing the damage she'd done to Elliot's jaw for the first time. She reached over and rubbed the point of impact until Elliot stopped her, taking her hand in his and looked into her sad eyes.

"It's okay. It's okay," he assured her, caressing the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb.

Elliot's mother poked her head into the room to see her son comforting Olivia again. She couldn't blame Olivia with all she'd been through in her short sixteen years of life.

She cleared her throat reluctantly to get their attention.

Both Elliot and Olivia pulled apart and looked up at Angie, who was just two steps into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, but...Olivia, they have your mom in the interrogation room at Manhattan Special Victims Unit and she is requesting to see you," she informed Olivia.

Olivia cleared her throat and nodded.

"I'll come with you, Olivia," Elliot offered.

Olivia got up from the bed. "Thank you. I just need to use the bathroom first," she said and headed toward the bathroom.

"How's she holding up?" Angie asked, sitting beside her son on the double bed.

"She's in a lot of pain, mom. I think she might benefit from seeing the shrink."

Angie nodded. "We'll see how she goes. She might feel better just getting way from the abuse. We can't force her in to counselling. If we think she needs it all we can do is offer it and hopefully convince her to try it."

Elliot nodded, unconvinced and turned just in time to see Olivia re-enter the room. Her shoulders slumped, her eyes exhausted and her lips straight and pursed together, as no emotion showed, but her shoulders and eyes told her story clearly.

"Ready to go?" he asked her gently.

She nodded, slowly. "Yeah. Let's get this over with, I guess," she muttered.

Elliot placed a hand on the small of Olivia's back and guided her out.

He sat in the back with Olivia as his mom drove. They were breaking procedure, so Angie had to go with them.

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During the long trip back to Manhattan, very few words had managed to be spoken before Olivia fell asleep with her head against the back passenger window and her sunglasses shielding her sleeping eyes from the last beam of the sun before it went to bed for the night.

The conversation that they did have was very short.

"Are you sure about this, Olivia?" Elliot had asked to make sure as he rubbed her arm.

Olivia had lifted up her sunglasses momentarily and looked over at him before covering her eyes again and leaning back against the window. "Not really but I need to," she had muttered in reply.

Looking out the window, Elliot sighed before saying, "Why do you need to?"

"Because I do. Just drop it, please, Elliot."

Since then the only noises were the car radio and Olivia's soft snores.

About an hour after they had left the house, Elliot finally pulled up in front of the 1-6 precinct, which housed the SVU.

He found an available parking spot and turned off the engine, taking his keys out of the ignition.

"Wake up, Olivia. We're here," Elliot woke her gently, rubbing her thigh.

Olivia's head rolled to the side with a sigh before clearing her throat and opening her eyes. "Wow. Didn't realize I had fallen asleep again," she said, taking off her seatbelt.

"It's okay," Elliot assured her, getting out of the car.

He walked around to the passenger side, just as Olivia opened the door and helped her out.

"Let's just get this over with please," Olivia practically begged.

Elliot nodded, not blaming her. "Let's go then," he replied and led her inside the busy building.

"Ah yes. Captain Thomas is expecting you, Elliot," the officer in the foyer greeted him.

"Thanks, Officer Connelly...Come on, Liv."

He led her in to the elevator and Olivia waited for the doors to slide shut before speaking.

"You've been here? I thought your dad worked in Queens."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, he does. I've been here a few times with him and I've done work experience here too," he explained to her.

Olivia just nodded and let Elliot place his hand on her lower back.

She leaned in to him. She'd never felt like this before and she could swear that this is what love was supposed to feel like.

Sighing softly, Olivia fell deeper in to Elliot's embrace, just as the elevator reached the desired floor. They heard it ding and the doors slid open.

"Come on, Olivia," he said, taking her hand in his, happy that she accepted his hand. Angie walked closely behind.

They walked in to the squad room and Captain Thomas stood in front of a clear board with photos stuck to it. It was a row of black and white photos, with girls, who looked to be aged between five and eight. A big case.

"Ah, Elliot. Nice to see you. Is this Olivia Benson?" The short, unfit man with thinning grey hair said, shaking his hand.

Elliot nodded. "Yes, this is Olivia. Where's her mother?" he asked, gently squeezing Olivia's hand in reassurance.

"Ms Benson is just in here," the captain said, leading the three of them in to the interrogation room.

Olivia looked through the observation window and sighed. Her mom wasn't drunk but she was damn near close.

Serena was pissed. She'd been pulled out of a bar and away from a guy, who she was going to take home and have sex with.

Hearing Olivia sigh and the nervousness in her shaky exhale of oxygen, Elliot asked in a whisper, as he caressed her lower back, "Would you like me to come in with you?"

Olivia sniffled, licking her dry lips and shaking her head. "No thanks, Elliot. I need to do this alone but please..." She knew Angie would be in there with her but she knew that she wouldn't say anything.

"Please what, Olivia?" he encouraged her to continue.

"Please stay out here. I need you close," she told him, looking deeply in to his caring eyes.

"Are...Are you sure? You sure you want me hearing your private stuff between you and your mom?" Elliot asked to make sure.

If she wanted him to stay there then stay there he would, there was nothing as important to him.

Olivia nodded and wiped away a stray tear. "Yeah," she replied, "I won't be in there long."

She opened the door and her mother looked up at her sharply.

"What the hell have you been saying, young lady?!" Serena yelled aggressively at her only child.

Olivia shut the door quietly, but there was a whole lot of loud in the quiet before the Benson in Olivia flared, making itself known. "I didn't have to tell them shit, mother! Do you know why?!"

Just from looking at Olivia, Elliot didn't think that she was capable of such anger, such hatred. He couldn't blame her though. Her mother used her as a punching bag, both physically and verbally; and as her human ash tray. Olivia was sick and tired of it and wanted to have a normal life; to be a normal teenager, to be happy, have friends and experiment.

Serena jumped up from her seat, knocking it backwards to the floor, in pure hatred and anger.

Elliot watched in horror through the observation window. Olivia's mother was just feet from Olivia when she was grabbed and handcuffed by two uniformed officers before she could hit Olivia.

Olivia didn't even flinch nor move a muscle before she spoke. "Come on, mom. You want to know why?" Olivia taunted her, feeling safe since Serena was cuffed.

"Shut up, you little bitch!" Serena seethed. "I should have aborted you. I should never have given birth to you!"

Olivia pawed at a tear. It had stung but she went on. "I didn't have to say shit. The marks you left on my body did all the talking for me!" she yelled and rushed out of the room with Angie close behind her.

Elliot saw the door open and Olivia rushed out on the verge of tears, of losing it, in general. He opened up his arms for her and she fell in to his warm, welcoming embrace.

He cupped the back of her head and guided her to his chest, allowing her to release her pain through the form of wet, salty tears. Elliot ignored the wetness seeping through his shirt to his bare chest. This was about Olivia not him.

He rubbed soothing circles on her back and kissed the crown of her head. "It's going to be alright, Liv," he whispered, quietly in to her ear. "Let's head home, huh? I think you've had enough for the day."

Olivia nodded with a sniffle and pulled back slightly. "Yeah, I'm so tired," she murmured.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, please read and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything or anyone you recognize.**

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Two weeks went by uneventfully and, today, Olivia was due in court again for her mother's case.

Olivia didn't know it yet, but they wanted to question her once again before the closing arguments. She would have to live through her pain just one last time before she could finally put it behind her.

Olivia loved living with the Stablers. She finally felt part of a family. A real family. She and Elliot had also decided to start dating and a week in to their new relationship, they were happy. Very happy.

Olivia woke to a soft voice and the feel of someone gently shaking her into awareness.

Her boyfriend was trying to ease her awake.

"Wake up, Liv," he murmured, caressing her warm, olive cheek.

Olivia sighed in her sleep and rolled over, trying to escape from the person disturbing her peaceful slumber.

Elliot laughed softly at his girlfriend. This had become routine over the last two weeks. He would try to wake her gently and she'd roll away from him, going back to sleep, so he'd have to tickle her to get her up.

Olivia Benson was not a morning person and Elliot had learnt that the first morning he woke her up. She'd gone ballistic at him but he found a way to calm her down. It had been quick and effective. She'd barely been touched as a child, so gentle caressing of her temples, arms or back usually did the trick.

Olivia loved Elliot's soft, caring touch and would lean in to him, never wanting him to stop.

They weren't allow to sleep together in the same bed, not that they were quite there yet but Olivia had snuck in one night after a nightmare and just wanted to be held, to feel safe. She had fallen asleep and Angie had walked in in the morning and gone berserk when she caught them but once the explanation had been given she had settled down a little.

"Don't make me tickle you, Liv," Elliot warned, just above a whisper.

Olivia snuggled her head in to the pillow with a content sigh before murmuring, "Leave me alone, El. Let me sleep."

"I wish I could, baby. But you have to get up for court. It's seven o'clock," he informed her.

_Baby? Where had that come from? _

Elliot hoped that Olivia hadn't heard the name of affection but she had.

She blushed. Olivia Benson actually blushed.

She groaned. "Do I have to?" she grunted, unhappily.

"I'm afraid so," he replied, rubbing her back softly in small circles. "Mom's making breakfast, so you should hop in to the shower," he told her and got up off the bed.

Olivia sat up with a grumble and yawned. "You going to stay with me?" she asked, very softly as she got up.

Elliot had to strain just to hear what she asked him. "In the court room?"

Olivia nodded, timidly, not taking her gaze from the polished hardwood floor of what used to be the spare bedroom, now her room.

Hooking a finger under her chin, Elliot gently lifted her head, so he could give her eye contact. He could still see the pain in them. "Of course, baby," he assured her and gave her a light kiss on the lips for the first time ever. It was like magic for Olivia. She'd felt a spark of electricity flow through her.

Olivia leaned her forehead against his with a soft smile. She still had a habit of questioning love but in that moment she was more than happy to accept Elliot's love for her.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Elliot nuzzled noses with her and planted another light kiss on her lips, unconcerned with her morning breath. "No problem. I'm here for you, Liv. You know that. Now, you better have a shower." He let her go reluctantly and headed for the door.

Olivia sighed sadly, watching Elliot exit her bedroom. She was not looking forward to the day; she wasn't sure what was going to happen to her mother. In fact she'd been dreading this day for two weeks. But just like some annoying bill in the mail, it had come.

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Elliot was sitting at the breakfast table, eating cereal when he saw Olivia enter. "Are you okay, Liv?"

Olivia sat down and nodded. "Yeah. Just not really looking forward to today," she replied softly. "Morning Angie, Em."

"Morning," Emily grunted, another morning hating person.

"Morning sweetheart," Angie greeted her with a kiss on the crown of her head and placed Olivia's breakfast on the table in front of her.

A mother's love. Something Olivia had never really experienced before living with the Stablers.

Angie sat down beside Olivia. "Are you ready for today?" she asked, gently.

Olivia exhaled slowly and deeply, shaking her head. "No, not really...But it's not like I have a choice in the matter," she muttered, harshly, picking up the spoon, indicating it was the end of the conversation.

Angie caressed Olivia's thigh, clothed in a black knee-lengthened skirt before getting up. She didn't take Olivia's pissy attitude personally; she knew it wasn't directed at her.

Olivia sighed, sadly and rubbed her neck. "Sorry, Angie."

Angie kissed the crown of Olivia's head again. "It's okay, sweetheart. Eat up... El, can I please talk to you, honey?"

Elliot put down his spoon, took Olivia's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze before getting up and following his mom in to the living room.

Fifteen year old Emily looked at Olivia. "Do you really love my brother?"

Olivia gulped but nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I do. Very much."

"Well, don't hurt him, okay?" she warned Olivia.

Olivia shook her head. "I wouldn't do that, Emily. I know what it feels like. I wouldn't want Elliot to go through that," she told Emily softly but firmly.

Emily smiled and went back to her breakfast, satisfied with Olivia's answer.

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"What's wrong, mom?" Elliot asked, following his mother in to the living room.

"She's going need a lot of your love and support today, El. It's possible that she could break down in court," Angie warned her son that it was going to be a long and draining day for him, as well as Olivia.

Elliot nodded in understanding. "I'm prepared to be there for her," he insisted.

Angie caressed her son's cheek. "I bet you are, son, but it could be draining for you too. Be prepared for her to lash out because it could happen but it won't make her a bad person."

"I know, mom, I know. I saw her talk to her mom at the precinct. She had such fury and hatred in her eyes but when she came back to me it was replaced with tears of hurt and she wanted to be held. You saw it with your own eyes."

Angie listened to Elliot and nodded, knowing he could handle it. Just like her husband could handle her temper flares. "Well, you guys better get going otherwise you will be late."

Elliot nodded and headed back in to the silent kitchen beside the sound of clattering items being placed in to the kitchen sink.

"Ready to go, Liv?"

Olivia turned around and exhaled a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess so," she whispered.

Elliot took her hand in to his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We better get going."

"Yeah," Olivia breathed as they headed out.

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Olivia spent most of the near hour long drive lost in her own little world, so when the car came to a halt and the engine was turned off before Elliot's hand landed on her thigh, she jumped, startled.

"We're here," he informed her, taking his seat belt off.

Olivia was on autopilot as she went through the motions of taking off her seat belt and getting out of the car.

Elliot guided her in to the building and in to the court room, holding her hand. They sat in the front row and no words were spoken between them.

"Please rise for the Honorable Jonathon Hale," a bailiff called out.

Everyone stood and watched the judge emerge and take his seat.

"Please be seated," he said and waited for everyone to sit.

"We call Olivia Benson to the stand," Serena's lawyer, Elizabeth Lawrence announced.

Olivia was shocked. It was supposed to be just closing arguments and the verdict today.

"Your Honor! Olivia Benson, the defendant's daughter has already relived her pain of the abuse of the hands of her own mother, on the stand," ADA Andrew Lang objected.

The judge looked at Elizabeth Lawrence. "You have a good enough reason to being the defendant's daughter back on the stand?" he asked, eyeing off the lawyer.

Lawrence nodded. "Yes, your Honor. We believe that Olivia was pressured into reporting a false child abuse allegation against my client."

The judge nodded in agreement. "Olivia Benson, come up to the stand."  
Elliot gave Olivia's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze and let go as she got up.

Olivia walked to the stand and sat down, nervously. Her hands tightly clasped in her lap as her knee bounced.

"Good morning, Olivia," Elizabeth Lawrence greeted her.

"Hi," Olivia muttered.

"Do you love your mother?"

"Of course. She is my mother."

"Has she ever hurt you?"

"Yes. You all saw the photos."

"Were you coerced into saying that your mother did those to you, even though it was someone else?"

"You already asked that and the answer is still the same. No."

"So your mother caused those cuts, bruises and cigarette burns?"

"Yes," Olivia seethed.

"You sure it wasn't your boyfriend?" she asked, harshly, motioning to Elliot in the front row.

Olivia shook her head. "I didn't know him then."

The lawyer was shocked. She had not been expecting that but she continued. "You got proof it was your mother who hurt you?"

"W...well no, besides the photos, but she does hit me, especially when she's drunk," Olivia stammered.

"No, you don't. Thank you, that's all," she finished.

"Mr Lang, you want to cross over?"

"Ah no," he said, shocked at the change of events.

"Alright, Miss Benson, you may step down."

Olivia got up and sat back down next to Elliot.

"It's okay, Liv," Elliot assured her, holding her hand again.

The closing statements went by in a blur for Olivia and before she knew it, it was time for the verdict.

"Have you reached a verdict?"

"Yes, your Honor," a juror said and passed the slip to the bailiff, who then passed it to the judge.

The judge read it and passed it back to the bailiff, who returned it to the juror.

"In the case of child abuse, how do you find the defendant?"

"Not guilty under the effect of mental illness or defect."

"The defendant needs to complete a year of rehabilitation. Thank you."

Elliot felt Olivia's hand clench his tightly as she watched her mother walk away with a smile after being found not guilty.

He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Don't lash out, baby. It won't do any good."

Elliot thought he had calmed Olivia down enough as they stood until Serena turned around and all hell broke loose.

"You stupid little bitch," Serena seethed at her daughter. "You are so lucky I was found not guilty. You are useless."

"Liv...Liv...Let's go, baby," Elliot tried to stop her from losing control.

Olivia jumped and was about to pounce on to her mother but Serena was pulled away as Elliot gently but firmly pulled Olivia back.

"Fuck you!" Olivia yelled at her mother.

"Come on, Olivia. Let's go home," he said and guided her out, glad that she wasn't resisting.

They got in to the car before Olivia lost it. She began to sob, violently.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, whispering comforting words in her ear until she cried herself to sleep.

He gently moved her back in to her seat and buckled her in securely before heading home.

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Arriving home, Elliot looked over at Olivia to see her still sleeping. He reached over and caressed her slender thigh. "Wake up, Liv. We're home," he whispered.

Olivia sighed in her sleep. "Leave me alone. Tired," she groaned.

Elliot got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the passenger door.

He unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her out, closing the door behind him with his foot.

Walking up the path, he was trying to work out in his head, how to open the front door with Olivia in his arms. Luckily Angie had seen them pull up and opened the door.

"Thanks, mom," Elliot whispered and carried Olivia upstairs, thankful of how light she was.

He laid her down on her bed and watched her curl into a defensive position with her clenched fists in her sleep. He had seen her sleep like that several times.

He tip-toed out, closing the door behind him, letting her get some much needed rest.

Elliot had only been downstairs talking to his mother for maybe five minutes, when they heard a loud commotion upstairs.

Elliot looked at his mother. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Angie replied, looking just as confused.

They rushed up the stairs to Olivia's bedroom. The noise had increased dramatically. It was coming from her bedroom.

Angie opened the door, allowing Elliot to enter first.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for the next. It's already typed and ready to be posted, how quick it will be posted will depend on reviews. WARNING: Trigger and Self-inflicted violence.  
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**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Olivia was throwing things angrily as tears cascaded down her youthful, sun kissed cheeks. She was in a world of hurt right now.

Elliot looked at his mother, who nodded and headed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Slowly, he approached Olivia and spoke up to alert her of his presence, as she hadn't acknowledged the fact that he was there.

"Liv...baby, settle down. What's wrong?" he asked, cautiously, wrapping his arms around her small waist.

Olivia exhaled a deep breath and accepted his embrace, falling in to him.

Elliot leaned his head on her shoulder and lightly kissed her neck. "What's going on, huh?" he asked gently, concerned.

Olivia closed her eyes and released a deep breath. "I don't know," she whispered, sadly, "I just woke up and lost control."

Elliot rubbed her waist. "Have you regained it now?"

Nodding, Olivia whispered, "Yeah. When I heard your voice, I did. It's like you have this hold on me."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Elliot went to move away. "A bad one?" he asked.

Olivia placed her hands over his, effectively stopping him from releasing her.

"No, El," she assured him, for the first time calling him, 'El.' "A good one and I actually feel safe to show you my vulnerable side. I've never felt this way before but...I like it," she said.

Elliot sighed in relief; the release of oxygen tickling Olivia's neck before he kissed the curve of her shoulder going in to the crook of her neck.

"Nice to know I have that kind of effect on you," he replied as Olivia turned around in his arms.

She leaned up and claimed his lips with hers. Licking his lips, she begged for entry, which Elliot happily obliged to by opening his mouth, allowing Olivia to explore its depths with her tongue, Elliot exploring hers in return.

A clearing of someone's throat in the doorway about forty seconds later startled them and they pulled apart, hesitantly.

They turned to see Elliot's mother in the doorway. Angie's face was emotionless and it scared both teens, not knowing what was about to happen.

"Elliot, your father is home. Go downstairs and say happy birthday," she told her son and waited for him to leave before she looked at Olivia.

"I know you love him, sweetheart, but, slow down a bit, huh? I saw you sneak in to his bedroom again last night...I don't want you sneaking in there anymore, you hear me? You stay out of there at night, you understand me?" she said, a little more harshly than she had intended.

Nodding, Olivia gulped and started to back away from her. "I'm sorry, Angie...If...If I'm in the way here I'll...I'll go to a shelter."

Angie furrowed her eyebrows, confused. Olivia had taken what she said too far and the wrong way. "Olivia...Honey..."

Backing away more, Olivia shook her head. "I'm sorry...Excuse me," she said and rushed in to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Angie sighed. "Crap," she muttered and knocked on the door.

"Olivia?" Calling through the door, Angie tried to hear Olivia or some sort of noise coming through the door, only she hear nothing. "Olivia?!"

Elliot rushed back up the stairs hearing the commotion. He found his mother banging on the bathroom door and Olivia was nowhere in sight. "Mom, what's going on?" he asked.

"Liv took something I said the wrong way," Angie explained, without going in to detail.

"What? What did you say?"

Angie shook her head. "Nothing, you need to know, son. It was girly stuff."

Nodding, Elliot believed his mother and he decided to knock on the door to see if Olivia would respond to him. "Liv...Baby, open up," he called, hearing water running.

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Olivia sat on the toilet, crying.

Was love too good to be true? Too good for a child of rape to receive? Questions seemed to wreak havoc in her mind but she still managed to hear Elliot when he approached his mother just outside the door. She got up off the closed lidded toilet and ran the bath. A hot bath would relax her right now.

As the water streamed, filling the bath tub, Olivia looked around the bathroom, as a way to ignore the voices outside the bathroom belonging to Elliot and his mother.

Her chocolate brown eyes caught sight of a pack of brand new pink disposable razors. She took them down and opened up the pack, taking a razor out.

Banging on the door started again, this time closely followed by Elliot's voice. "Liv...Baby, open up."

"Go away!" Olivia called back, sniffling.

She'd taken the protective plastic from over the metal blades of the razor.

"Liv, honey, please!"

Olivia's sobbing grew in volume and frequency.

Hearing the bathroom lock being picked, Olivia wasn't concerned with the consequences of her actions as she glided the metal blade along her arm sideways, it was just to relieve herself of her emotion, to take her mind off it all. A cry for attention, if you looked at it another way. A release.

As it glided across her already scared skin, it left a flow of warm crimson red in its path.

The bathroom door flung open, just as she finished the line and pulled the razor from her skin.

"Liv?! What the hell are you doing?!" Elliot yelled in shock and rushed over to her.

As he tried to pry the blade out of Olivia's hand, Angie turned the bath taps off and grabbed a towel from the rack.

"Give it to me, Olivia...Please," Elliot practically begged her, his eyes glistening with tears.

Olivia sobbed and inhaled a shaky breath of air. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Passing Elliot the towel, Angie whispered, "Here, El."

Elliot wrapped it around Olivia's arm, over the cut and pulled it tightly to stop the bleeding.

"She's going to need stitches," Angie alerted her son.

Elliot gently scooped Olivia up and carried her down the stairs to the car, despite her protests that she was fine and could walk. She wasn't an invalid.

Getting in the back of the car with her, since Angie was driving, Elliot said, "You need the hospital, Liv."

"No, I don't," she protested and tried to get out of the car, even though it was moving.

Elliot started to delicately caress her arms and began to feel her relax, he moved up to her temples until she fell asleep in his arms.

"She's asleep," he informed his mother in a whispered, as to not wake Olivia.

"El, honey, once they stitch up that cut, she's going to be admitted to the psych ward."

Elliot sighed and kissed Olivia's forehead lightly. "For how long?"

"Possibly seventy-two hours, but she'll need on-going psychologist appointments when she is released," she explained to her son.

Shaking his head, Elliot muttered, "She's not going to like that."

Angie put the indicator on, looked to make sure it was safe as she slowed down before turning down another street. "Yes, I know, honey, but it's what is best for Olivia. She needs help. Her mom really threw her in to a loop. She hasn't had a chance to be a kid and it's catching up to her."

Elliot nodded and stayed quiet the rest of the way to the hospital.

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Waking up again about two hours after being woken and helped out of the car to be admitted, Olivia opened her eyes and looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. Seeing Elliot and his mother sitting in the chairs beside the bed, she cleared her throat. "Hi," she greeted them, weakly.

Elliot and Angie looked up, hearing her hoarse, sleepy voice from the bed.

"Hi, baby," Elliot whispered, getting up on the bed beside her.

Looking from Olivia to his mother, Elliot could see her mother really had said something to upset her.

Olivia swallowed and went to roll over, only to be stopped by Elliot.

"Whoa! Whoa! What's going on, Liv?" he asked, only for Olivia to try to escape his grasp, this time managing to roll away from him.

Looking into Angie's eyes, Elliot could see the guilt in them. "Mom? What did you say to her?" he demanded to know.

Angie folded her arms on her chest. "Don't start demanding from me," she scolded her son.

She was going to continue, only to be disturbed by an escaping sob from Olivia.

Lying down beside Olivia, Elliot wrapped his arms around her middle and after some protesting, she finally accepted his touch, loving it.

Kissing her cheek, he whispered a promise in to her ear. "As soon as I turn eighteen in a month, we will spend some time together, just the two of us and as soon as we can, we will move out together. Just the two of us. You like that?"

Nodding, Olivia found herself smiling too. Her first big real smile in a very long time and it was Elliot's doing.

_'This must be what real love is,'_ Olivia surmised in her head.

"Elliot," Angie spoke up. "Slow it down, kids. You're going too fast, it could damage what you have."

Shaking his head, Elliot kissed Olivia's cheek. "No, we're happy, mom. We're in love," he insisted.

Olivia sighed contently as Elliot caressed her arm, holding her close.

Her eyes became heavy, starting to droop as relaxation settled in to her body.

Hearing her breathing even out, Elliot continued the motion for a few more moments before stopping, when he knew she was sound asleep.

Elliot exhaled a deep breath before turning to his mother. "Mom, please tell me what you said to her. You really upset her," he said, gently lifting up her left arm, which had been stitched up and covered with a white cotton bandage. It had taken about fourteen stitches to close it up.

Angie sighed. She didn't mean for any of this to happen. She didn't realize that Olivia would take what she was trying to tell her the wrong way. She just didn't want something bad to happen, resulting in Olivia and Elliot breaking up and hating each other.

"I just...I just told her to slow it down and to..."

"And what, mom?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Nothing. I just told her to slow it down at notch and to not take this too fast."

Elliot kissed Olivia again with a nod.

Standing up, Angie patted her son's back softly. "I'll be back in a moment. Just going to grab a coffee.. You should stay here with Olivia and I will be back before they take her up to psych," she told him gently.

Elliot nodded in agreement. "I'm not leaving her," he insisted adamantly.

Angie kissed Elliot's forehead. "I didn't think you would, honey. In the last two weeks, you two have had this inseparable bond. It's a rare thing, El, I just want you two to be careful. I'll be right back."

"We will, mom," Elliot answered and listened to his mother walk out of the hospital room, closing the door behind her.

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Waking up to the door opening and footsteps of not just one person but a few, Elliot realized that he had fallen asleep beside Olivia.

Opening up his eyes, he saw a female doctor with shoulder length, red, curly hair, green eyes and a few freckles on either side of her nose.

She looked to be around thirty-five years old and with her was a nurse and Angie.

"Wake up, Liv," Elliot whispered, gently shaking her.

Groaning in disapproval at being disturbed, Olivia rolled over and opened her eyes. "What?"

"There's a doctor here, babe."

Looking around, Olivia finally saw the doctor.

"Hello, Olivia. I'm Doctor Amelia Donoghue," the friendly doctor introduced herself.

"Up in the crazy unit, huh?" Olivia spoke sarcastically.

Being used to it, Dr. Donoghue nodded. "Yes, honey, but you're not crazy and it doesn't make you crazy to be in there. You just need some help with a psychological problem and we'll be helping you for the next seventy-two hours."

Olivia's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

"Seventy-two hours?! Get stuffed!" She showed her unwillingness to go.

Sighing, Elliot rubbed her arm, soothingly. "How about if I stay with you?"

"Ah, we can't allow that."

"Well, I'm not allowing Olivia to be alone."

Grabbing tightly to Elliot's arms around her, Olivia whispered, "Don't leave me, El. Please don't leave me."

"I won't, Liv. I promise," he said, trying to pry his hands out of her unbelievably strong grip.

"El, don't."

"I'm not leaving you, Olivia. I'm just getting off the bed," he said and got off, not letting go of one of her hands.

"We can't allow you to go in to the psych ward," Dr. Donoghue said, adamantly.

Opening his mouth to protest, Elliot was cut off by Olivia.

Ripping the IV out of her arm, ignoring the blood, she got off the bed, saying, "Well, I'm done here. Take me home, El."

"Get back in to bed, Olivia. You are a minor, so you have to stay," Angie told her, deciding it was time to speak up.

Olivia shook her head, ignoring Angie and the doctor and grabbed her bag of clothes from under the bed. "El, take me home, please."

"Baby, I want to, but I can't. You have to stay," he told her and then looked at the doctor. "Please let me stay with her and she will stay," Elliot tried to bargain with the doctor, as he got Olivia to sit in the wheelchair that had been wheeled in.

She scrubbed a hand down her face in frustration. "Fine. I'll see what I can do," she told him before getting the nurse to push the wheelchair.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything or anyone you recognize.**

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Sitting alone in the hospital room, up in the psych unit, Olivia waited impatiently for Elliot to visit after school. She had just finished her last psychologist appointment and could be released in the morning.

She'd been pacing around the cell sized room, when there was a light tap on the white painted wooden door. The door opened, followed by a soothing voice.

"Baby?" It was Elliot.

Happy that he had finally come, Olivia turned around and ran to him.

"Hey," he whispered in to her hair, wrapping his arms around her. "How was your last appointment?"

Shaking her head, Olivia buried her face in to Elliot's chest.

As he rubbed her back, Elliot asked, "hey, hey. What happened, Olivia?"  
When Olivia didn't reply, Elliot gently pulled her back, so he could look at her. "Olivia? Olivia? What happened in the appointment?"

Sighing, Olivia shook her head. "The same old thing, El. I don't want to talk about it," she told him, adamantly.

"Okay, okay," he said and kissed her lightly on the lips, deciding not to push her right now, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle it at the moment.

"How was your day?" Olivia asked, changing the subject.

Sitting down on the edge of the uncomfortable bed, Elliot gently pulled Olivia down on to his lap, wrapping his arms around her again. "What's going on, huh? What happened from when I left you last night till just before I came back? Tell me, baby."

Exhaling a deep breath, Olivia rested her head on his shoulder, still looking at him. She didn't want to talk about her session. "I love you."

It was the first time she had said those three magic words and they made him smile.

He kissed the tip of her nose and said, "I love you too... Now you going to tell me or not, Livvy?"

"Uhuh," Olivia muttered, shaking her head.

Biting his bottom lip, Elliot nodded, hiding his frustration. "Let me know when you're ready. I'm here for you, you know that," he told her softly, rubbing her back. "Would you feel more comfortable talking to Alex or Casey?"

Furrowing her brows in confusion, Olivia asked, "Alex or Casey?"

"They're my friends. You met them last week, remember?"

Olivia thought about it for a moment before asking, "The blonde with the glasses and the red head?"

Nodding, Elliot said, "Yeah. Alex is the blonde and Casey's the red head. Would you like me to call one of them? It might be easier to talk to another girl."

"I don't know them, El..." she began but was stopped by a light tap on the door before it slowly opened.

Dr Amelia Donoghue slowly walked in to the room with a plastic cup in each hand. The left containing a couple of pills and the other filled with water.

Dr. Donoghue cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt but it's time for your medication, Olivia."

Olivia turned her head in to Elliot's shoulder and told the doctor firmly, "I don't want them."

The doctor tilted her head slightly at Olivia's bizarre reaction. "Olivia? Dr. Elmsworth said that you took them this morning without a problem."

Looking down to meet Olivia's eyes. "Baby, you need to take your medication."

Being stubborn, Olivia shook her head again. "I'm sick of being drugged up. I wanna feel fucking normal again," she snarled, looking between the both of them.

Elliot tilted his head back momentarily and exhaled a frustrated breath before looking at Dr Donoghue, putting a finger up, to tell her to give them a minute.

She nodded and placed the items on the table before heading out, leaving Elliot to try and convince Olivia to take the tablets.

"Liv, honey, you need to take them. You've been diagnosed with Depression. Please take them. From tomorrow, it will only be once a day, ok?"

Olivia just groaned and held out her hand.

Picking up the items, Elliot said, "Thank you, Liv," before passing her the pills.

Once they were in her mouth, he passed her the small cup of water.

She drank it and opened her mouth to show him that she'd swallowed them.

"Under your tongue?"

Olivia lifted her tongue and then said, "See? All gone."

"Thank you, Liv," he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Dr. Donoghue returned minutes later with Olivia's dinner in hand.

"Yuck," Olivia grumbled. She hated hospital food; she missed Mrs Stabler's cooking.

"Sorry, Elliot, but you have to leave early tonight."

Elliot furrowed his brows in confusion as Olivia hung on to him, tightly. "What the hell for?"

"Olivia has her last group therapy tonight before bed... You can pick her up at nine in the morning, ok?"

Elliot nodded, reluctantly. "Up you get, baby."

Sighing, Olivia got up and went to sit straight back down on the bed, but Elliot stopped her.

He had wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss. "Behave yourself and I'll be back in the morning to pick you up, Liv."

Olivia nodded. "I will be. I love you."

"Love you too," he said and reluctantly walked out.

"Did you take your tablets, Olivia?" Dr. Donoghue asked, giving Olivia her dinner.

"Yes, I did."

"Would you like to talk for a few minutes? Maybe about what happened in your session that has upset you?"

"No, I don't."

Amelia sighed. "What happened while I was off duty, honey? Something has upset you."

Groaning, Olivia shook her head. "Nothing, just leave me alone."

Amelia nodded. "I'll be back in about half an hour to take you to therapy," she told Olivia softly and walked out.

Exhaling a deep breath, Olivia put her dinner down on the table and pushed it back, not being in the mood to eat.

She'd only just laid back into the mattress and gotten comfortable, when the door was flung open angrily and Serena came strolling in.

The look on her face terrified Olivia and she gulped.

"W... What d-do y-you w-want, mom?" Olivia stuttered. "How did you get in here?"

Serena grabbed Olivia's bag of clothes from underneath the bed and threw it at her. "The nurse at the desk let me in because I am your mother. Now get dressed, Olivia Quinn Benson," she seethed.

"I can't leave until morning and I am not leaving with you," Olivia replied, adamantly.

"Yes, you are, young lady, or you can goodbye to your boyfriend."

"You better not hurt him."

"Well, get dressed and let's get the hell out of here. You have a lot of fucking cleaning to do."

"I thought there was a restraining order in place."

"The nurse didn't know that and they can't stop me from seeing my own daughter, now stop stalling and get fucking dressed."

Getting up slowly, Olivia nodded and got dressed.

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Elliot was sitting on his bed, studying, when the phone started to ring.

"El! Phone!" Angie bellowed from downstairs.

Elliot picked up the phone receiver in his room. "Hello?"

"Elliot? It's Dr. Donoghue."

Freaking out from the tone of her voice, Elliot was already putting his shoes on. "What's wrong? Is Olivia ok?"

"A nurse informed me that her mother had come to visit. Knowing the situation I ran in to the room...She was gone. Her mom has taken her."

"Did you call the local precinct because there's a restraining order in place?"

"Yes, I did. They're sending officers to their house."

"Thanks for calling, I'm heading down there now."

"No problem. Bring her back here, I'll need to reassess her."

"Sure thing. Bye," he replied and hung up.

Hearing her son run down the stairs, she rushed in to the foyer, to see what all the commotion was about.

"El? What's going on, honey?"

"Serena's taken, Olivia," he told her without stopping.

Grabbing her purse, she called over to Emily. "I'm going with El. Behave. Your dad will be home soon."

She had only managed to get in to the passenger seat when Elliot started up the car.

"Have unis from the closest precinct been called?" she asked as Elliot pulled out of the driveway and speeding off down the street.

It was going to be a long drive as it was.

"Yeah. Dr Donoghue called them straight away before she called me. They're probably there right now and I've got to get there for Liv," he told his mom.

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Pulling up at the Benson townhouse, Elliot got out of the car to see Serena being dragged out in handcuffs.

"Sir, you can't go in there," a uniform officer told Elliot.

He pushed the officer out of the way and ran inside. "Liv? Baby! Where are you, Liv?" he asked, looking around.

"I'm here, El," she called back from the couch, behind two officers and a paramedic.

Elliot approached her cautiously and tried not to visibly flinch when he caught sight of her. Serena had physically attacked her.

She had a black eye, bloody nose, swollen jaw and they were just the injuries that he could see.

"Shit, Liv," he murmured, squatting down in front of her, resting a hand on her thigh. "Baby, did she do this to you?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nodded in to his shoulder. "Yes, she did."

Putting his hand on her back and feeling her inhale sharply in pain, he gently pulled back.

"Bruised ribs," she whispered.

" Hey, we need to take her to the hospital," a paramedic interrupted.

Nodding, Elliot stood up and took Olivia's hand, helping her up. "I'll take her. Another doctor needs to see her anyway."

Letting Elliot gently guide her out, she leaned in to him and asked, "Do I have to go back to the crazy unit?"

"Baby, you are not crazy and it isn't the crazy unit, but yes, Dr. Donoghue wants to reassess you," he said as he and Angie helped Olivia into the backseat of the car.

"Sit with her, El, I'll drive," Angie told her car.

Getting in, Elliot thanked his mom and closed the door.

"Am I going to be safe now?" Olivia asked, snuggling in to Elliot.

Wrapping his arm around her, he kissed the crown of her head. "I'll make sure of it, baby," he promised, "She should be going to jail anyway for breaking the restraining order, assault and child abuse."

Sighing and resting her head on Elliot's shoulder, she believed him and felt safe in his arms.

"Honey, they'll need to take photos of your new injuries," Angie said to Olivia, taking a quick glance at her in the rearview mirror.

Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Yeah, I know... I was so looking forward to going home tomorrow," she muttered.

Caressing her arm, Elliot whispered in her ear, "You still might be able to, baby." He kissed her head again.

"I hope so. I want to sleep in my own bed again," she whispered.

"I'll stay with you tonight," Elliot promised.

"Thank you. I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Reviews went down last chapter, was not impressed. So if you want the next please review. Sex scene ahead, don't like or if you're too young, skip over it.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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A month went by so fast for Olivia and Elliot. Serena was sentenced to five to ten years for child abuse and assault. Elliot, on the other hand, had just turned eighteen.

Still very much in love, Elliot and Olivia were still dating but discovered that they couldn't move out together but Angie was starting to be a little more trusting with them and had started letting them sleep in the same bed but with the door at least half open. She was strict in that department but for Elliot's birthday, Elliot and Olivia decided to spend a night together in a hotel for some privacy.

Laying in bed together, Olivia rolled over and rested her head on Elliot's chest, looking up in to his eyes. "El?"

Rubbing her back, Elliot leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Yes, baby?"

"Make love to me," she purred.

Elliot was shocked. "Are...Are you sure, baby?"

Olivia nodded. "Just be gentle with me...I'm a virgin."

"Of course, baby. You know I would never hurt you," he whispered, slowly taking the covers off of the both of them.

Kneeling up, Olivia straddled Elliot and took a hold of his t-shirt. She lifted it up as he leaned up to make it easy for her and she slipped it over his head before discarding it to the side.

Reaching up, Elliot lifted up and discarded Olivia's pyjama top, releasing what he saw as perfect, perky breasts.

Groaning, he cupped a breast in his hand. It fitted in his hand perfectly.

Olivia tensed slightly, feeling his erection hit her ass.

"Baby, it's ok if you're not ready," Elliot assured her, breathlessly.

Exhaling a deep breath, Olivia shook her head. "No, I'm ready. I love you."  
"I love you too," he replied, followed by Olivia's sharp intake of air as he grazed his thumb across her nipple and proceeded to suck at her neck.

Looking up in to his eyes, she could see the lust in them, his heavy eyelids telling the story of how he felt.

Olivia thought he was incredibly sexy and could not wait to feel him inside her.

She moaned again, only to be silenced by Elliot's mouth on hers. She allowed Elliot to slide his tongue in and explore the depths of her mouth as she explored his.

She was shocked. He had never kissed her quite like this. It seemed more hungry and sexy than all the other times he had kissed her. Olivia found it so hot.

"El, stop," she whimpered, against his lips.

Concerned, Elliot stopped in an instant. "What's wrong, baby?"

"We've got to get our pants off, honey. They're kinda in the way here."

Sighing in relief, Elliot gently lifted her up and laid her on the other side of the bed. "Let's sort that problem out then, huh?"

Olivia blushed. "Yeah, let's," she whispered and lifted up her hips off the bed.

Elliot was slow and loving as he removed her pants, along with her panties. Elliot moaned as he took in the sight of her neatly groomed mound. "Oh, baby."

"El..."

"Right," Elliot whispered and got up to remove his boxers before getting back on to the bed.

Leaning down, he kissed her inner thighs.

Arching her back, involuntarily, Olivia moaned.

Feeling how wet and ready she was for him, Elliot slid a finger in to her and Olivia groaned, rolling her head to the side as Elliot began to thrust his finger in and out, using his thumb to stroke her clit.

"Shit," she choked out as Elliot slid in a second finger.

Feeling something different, Olivia began panic. "El! El!"

"It's ok, Liv, it's normal. It's your orgasm coming, baby. Relax and continue to feel."

Olivia nodded, panting and started to relax as much as possible as his continued his ministrations.

Moments later, Olivia cried out with her first ever orgasm.

"Shit," she panted, sweating. "Wow, I've been missing out."

Elliot kissed her lips. "You ready, baby?"

"Yeah," she breathed her answer.

Elliot gently lifted her hips and kissed her lips again.

Elliot being Catholic and both being caught up in the moment, they didn't think of protection.

He got himself settled between her thighs and got himself comfortable above her. His fingers entwined with hers, on one side of her head.

The other hand was on her hip, he smiled as she moved her hips.

"Come on," she panted.

The tip of his penis slipped in to her and she hissed, suddenly getting scared, feeling the head slip in to her. Her confidence fading.

"It's ok, baby. I'll be gentle," he whispered his promise, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

Olivia nodded, so he slid in to her a little more, causing Olivia's eyes to open wide as she whimpered, taking deep puffs of airs, trying to control her breathing against the pain starting to build.

Elliot whimpered, feeling Olivia's fingernails dig in to his back with one hand and the other hand's fingernails dig in to the back of his hand, he was sure that both sets of fingernails had drawn blood on his hand and back, but he gently slid in a little more.

"It hurts, El, so bad," she cried, tears were welling up in her eyes.

Elliot kissed her cheek, kissing away her tears, trying to reassure her. He wanted to take the pain away and replace it with pleasure. "I'm so sorry, gorgeous. It will get better, I promise you. I love you so much, gorgeous."  
"Really? It will get better?" she whimpered.

Nuzzling her nose with his, Elliot nodded and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Yeah... Or I can stop, if you want me to."

Olivia shook her head, adamantly. She'd gotten this far, she wasn't going to chicken out now. "No. Don't stop, El, I trust you with everything in me," she whispered; only to tense even more as Elliot slid in further.

'He must be more than halfway by now,' she thought to herself, trying to keep her mind off the intense pain between her legs.

Leaning down near her ear, Elliot whispered, affectionately to her, "Just keep breathing, baby. You're doing so well."

Olivia did as she was told and kept breathing as Elliot continued to slide the rest of the way into her slowly until he was in all the way.

Kissing the tip of her nose, he whispered with a smile, "I'm all the way in, gorgeous."

It was burning and the sensation between her legs was indescribable for Olivia.

"Oh God," she whispered, painfully, "I c-can't b-believe that you are inside of me, El."

Elliot laughed lightly, "Well, believe it, baby. I am...And it's going to feel so good. You fit me so perfectly."

"I love you, El... but, ah, could you please move," she whimpered, gritting her teeth.  
"Sorry, baby," Elliot apologized and started to move. "I love you so, so much... And I promise you it will stop hurting."

Starting the slow, painful dance, Olivia groaned and a few tears fell from her eyes.

Elliot kissed the tip of her nose and kissed away her fresh tears. "It's ok, baby, it's ok. I love you," he murmured.

Slowly the pleasure started as the pain faded and Elliot found an appropriate rhythm, feeling Olivia beginning to relax underneath him. Her confidence was starting to show through as she wrapped her legs around his waist and she started to rock her hips, meeting him with each and every thrust.

He rested his forehead against hers and nuzzled noses with her. Both sweaty and panting.

"I love you."

"I love you too, El," she whispered back, just as breathlessly. "El... El...I...I t-think...I- I'm g-gonna c-cum."

"Let go for me then, gorgeous. I'll catch you."

Feeling her trying to resist, he cupped her breast and ran his thumb over her taut nipple and kissed her neck before slamming back down in to her, a little rougher than before.

It did the trick as Olivia screamed out, riding out her orgasm and smiled, feeling the warm rush of Elliot's released inside of her.

"Wow," she breathed as Elliot pulled out.

"Shit," he murmured.

"What, El?" Olivia asked, her eyes wide, still breathing heavily.

"Baby, I hope you realize we didn't use a condom..." he whispered, getting up. "I'm sorry."

"El, it doesn't matter, honey," she replied, not thinking about how she could get pregnant from the first time.

"Baby, y-you're b-bleeding."

Looking down, Olivia gasped. "Shit, I am," she shrieked and jumped off the bed, running in to the bathroom.

She locked the door behind her in embarrassment and ran the shower.

Stepping under the hot stream, she let it soothe her body.

Starting to delicately wash her sensitive body, Elliot started to knock on the door. "Olivia, let me in please. There's no need to be embarrassed," he tried to reassure her.

Sniffling, Olivia moved her face out of the flow of water. "Just give me a minute, El, please."

Elliot sighed. "Sure, I'll be around somewhere, baby," he said and walked back in to the bed.

He took the sheets off the bed and placed them on the floor as he re-made the bed with fresh clean ones before taking the soiled sheets and placing them in the corner of the room, leaving them on the floor. They were their sheets anyway. They had brought two sets of sheets with them, not wanting to sleep on the hotel sheets.

The whole time, he kept thinking that Olivia regretted them making love and would want to leave him. He hoped that wasn't the case.

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Stepping out of the bathroom, with a large lavender purple towel wrapped around her, she noticed that Elliot had changed the sheets on the bed, made it and folded over her side, so that she could get in and sleep but Elliot himself was nowhere in sight.

She sighed, hoping that she hadn't upset him.

Olivia got dressed in a clean pair of panties and a pair of sweats before searching for Elliot around the hotel.

Reaching the lobby downstairs, she softly called out for him. "El." Receiving no answer, she treaded through the front doors and out the front.

Elliot sat there on the cement step, his head in his hands between his legs.

Olivia sat beside him and wrapped an arm around him, ignoring how cold she was. "El, baby."

Elliot lifted up his head and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry."

Olivia stopped him by putting her lips on his, kissing him softly. "No, El, you've got nothing to apologize her. I'm sorry I overreacted to the blood. I was embarrassed," she admitted softly.

Cupping her face in his hands and looking in to her eyes, he said, "No need to be embarrassed, gorgeous. Just like a married couple, I'm here for you through the good and the bad. For better or worse."

"Me too, El."

Finally seeing that Olivia was shivering in the cold night, Elliot got up and scooped her up off the step.

She giggled. Olivia Benson actually giggled for once and it was care free.

Just looking at her in that moment, you wouldn't have known the trouble she'd gone through all her life before that moment. She was actually content with the world and her new life with Elliot Stabler.

"What are you doing, El?"

Walking in to the hotel toward the elevator, Elliot waited for the doors to shut behind them and said, "Taking my beautiful lover back to bed."

"I'd love to make love to you again, El, but I'm so tired and we have school in the morning," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

The door opened again and Elliot stepped out still holding Olivia.

"Wasn't planning on it," he said. Seeing the hurt expression on her face, he added, "I just want to lay in bed, snuggled up with my baby."

Olivia smiled as Elliot laid her down on the bed and tucked her in before getting in behind her.

Falling in Elliot's embrace, she rested her hands on top of his, which rested on her belly.

Elliot nuzzled her neck, "Night baby."

"Night, El."

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Waking up to an empty bed when the alarm went off at seven am sharp, Elliot freaked out.

He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, sighing in relief when he found her in the kitchen of the hotel room, making breakfast.

Olivia turned around and saw Elliot just starting to settle down. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You thought I left, didn't you?"

Sighing, Elliot rested his forehead against hers. "Yes, I did. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, I scared you. I woke up early and decided to make you a nice breakfast," she explained and kissed him on the lips.

"Thanks, I'll just have a shower, while you finish."

"Okay, honey," she replied and let go of him.

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Returning about twenty minutes later, Elliot found his breakfast on the table and his girlfriend looking out the window.

Wrapping his arms around her middle, he accidentally startled her. "Sorry. What are you thinking about?"

Olivia cleared her throat and turned around in his arms, wrapping her own around him. "I was thinking of seeing my mother today. I have questions that I need answered."

Leaning down, Elliot kissed the top of her head. "We have school today, baby. How about I take you tomorrow since it will be Saturday?" he tried to compromise.

Olivia nodded and went to walk away, but Elliot sat down at the table and gently pulled her down on to his lap. "Enjoy this yummy looking pancake with me."

He picked up his knife and fork before cutting off a piece. He popped it in to his mouth and ate it. "Yum, baby. You really know how to cook."

Olivia blushed. "Glad you like it."

Elliot cut another bit and held it up. "Open up."

"No, thanks, El. I made it for you."

"Just open up, baby. I want to share everything with you."

"Except toilet stuff," Olivia joked and opened her mouth.

Elliot laughed and popped the bit of pancake in to her mouth.

"Damn, I do make good pancakes."

Elliot kissed her lips and nodded. "Yep, you sure do. We better hurry up for school," he said and cut another piece.

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Sitting in her maths class with Casey and Alex on either side, she was trying to concentrate but she could feel her friends' eyes on her.

She looked up and looked at Casey and then Alex. "What?"

"How was your first night alone with Elliot in the hotel?"

Unconsciously, Olivia blushed.

Casey's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh. My. God!"

Olivia's head snapped around to look at Casey. "What?"

"You lost your virginity, didn't you?"

Olivia instantly shushed her. "We're in class. Quiet."

"But you did, didn't you?" Alex asked.

Turning back to her work, Olivia just nodded, blushing.

"What was it like?" Casey asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No more talking about it in here, people are listening."

"Olivia Benson, you have an answer to the question?"

"No, sir," Olivia replied.

"Well stop talking then," Mr. Rowe said from the front of the class.

"Sorry, sir," she replied and went back to her work. "Thanks a lot, girls," she whispered.

Casey and Alex just laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. For the next one please read and review. It might take a little longer because this is the last one I have typed up but I have up to chapter 17 handwritten, so please keep the reviews coming and I will keep the updates coming. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Laying awake early that Saturday morning, Olivia watched Elliot sleep comfortably. She was having second thoughts about going to see her mom in prison.

Elliot stirred, moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Baby, stop thinking. It's too early," he mumbled, half asleep with his eyes still closed.

Hearing Olivia sigh, Elliot opened his eyes and wiped away a tear he saw fall. "What's wrong, baby? It's 4:06 in the morning. W hy aren't you asleep?" he asked, caressing her cheek.

"I can't sleep," she whispered.

"Okay, but can you tell me why?"

"I'm starting to change my mind about today."

"About seeing your mom?"

Olivia nodded in confirmation.

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Sweetie, I'll be right there with you the entire time, I promise."

"Thank you," she whispered and turned over, snuggling backwards in to him.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "Anytime, babe. Sleep now, okay?" he whispered and began to caress her warm, bare belly.

They were still naked from making love for the second time just four hours ago, while everyone was still out for the night, since Elliot's parents didn't know they were sexually active yet.

Half an hour later, Elliot could tell that Olivia was still awake. "Gorgeous, you need to sleep," he whispered.

Olivia yawned. "Okay, I am, El," she whispered and finally let her eyes drift shut.

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Sleeping for all of maybe just over half an hour, Olivia found herself awake again. Sighing, she took a quick glance at the alarm clock. 5:18 was visible with the moonlight coming through the window.

With Elliot being on the other side of the bed, she found it easier to get out of bed without disturbing him.

Once out of bed, she tip-toed out of the room and headed in to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She turned on the light and decided to take a hot, relaxing bath.

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Elliot woke about twenty minutes after Olivia had left the bed and reached over to pull her close, only to discover that the other side of the bed was empty and cold, so she'd been gone awhile.

Freaking out, like he had the previous morning, Elliot practically jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room.

Getting to the hallway and seeing the bathroom door shut, light coming from the gap beneath, he instantly knocked lightly on the door, his mind taking him back to the day when he rushed in to the bathroom to find a razor in her hand and blood pouring out of her arm.

"You can come in, El," Olivia replied straight away, knowing that it was him.

Opening the door quietly as to not wake anyone else up in the house, Elliot saw a razor in her hand, but she was shaving her legs in the bath. "There you are," he said, the whole time, his eyes stayed on the razor.

Seeing Elliot stare at the razor, Olivia sighed. "I'm not going to hurt myself, honey, I promise. Watch me finish with it and then you can take it."

Bowing his head, Elliot sat down on the closed tid toilet beside the tub. "I'm sorry, baby, it's just you freaked me out that day," he explained.

Finished with the razor, Olivia handed it to him straight away. "I know and I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking that day."

After a couple minutes of comfortable silence, Elliot asked, "You finished in there, gorgeous?" he asked.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she replied and pulled the plug before standing up, as Elliot wrapped a large, white towel around her.

He helped her step out the bath safely and walked with her back in to the bedroom that they now shared.

"Did you get any sleep, sweetie?" he asked, watching Olivia go through the drawers, grabbing out clothes.

"About an hour," she replied, starting to get dressed.

"You want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing, El. I just suffer from insomnia sometimes," she reassured him.

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The drive to the prison was uncomfortable and the silence was deafening.

Elliot wanted to ask her why she had to do this and what she was hiding from him.

While Angie drove them, Olivia leaned her head on the left side passenger window with her big, dark brown sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun and to hide her tears from Elliot as he held her, rubbing her arms.

The feeling of Elliot's hand suddenly on her thigh startled her. Her head snapped up and she noticed that they had stopped. They had arrived at the prison.

"We're here, baby. You ready?" he asked, taking off his seatbelt.

Exhaling, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I need answers," she said, adamantly, opening the car door.

Meeting Olivia on the other side of the car, Elliot took her hand in his and was by her side as promised, as they entered the building with Angie close behind.

"We're here to see Serena Benson," Angie said to the officer at the desk.

"Names?" the officer asked, looking at the names on the clipboard in front of him.

"Angela Stabler, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler."

"ID?"

"Elliot and I can show our driver's licences but Olivia's only got a student card."

The officer nodded. "That will work, I only need photo ID."

Showing their IDs, the officer nodded and handed them the clipboard with a pen. "Sign."

Once they had signed, they were in an interview room.

"They'll bring your mother in, in a moment," the nameless officer said, shutting the cell like door behind Angie, Olivia and Elliot.

Angie stood in the corner while Olivia went to walk away from Elliot but was stopped by a hand gently grabbing her wrist.

"Olivia, baby..."

Sighing, Olivia turned to face him. "What, Elliot?"

"Come sit, beautiful," he said and sat on an uncomfortable chair at the grey, metal, rectangle shaped table in the cold, bleak cell before gently pulling her down on to his lap.

"El..."

Kissing her on the lips, he silenced her. "I'm here for you, 'Livia."

Olivia nodded and rested her head against Elliot's shoulder. "I know. Thank you, El," she whispered.

The cell door opened and Serena entered in an orange jumpsuit and her hands in cuffs, an officer followed closely and closed the door.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my useless so- called daughter. What do you want Olivia Quinn Benson?"

"I want questions answered, mother, and I want them now," Olivia said and banged her closed fists on the table, in anger.

"Settle down, Olivia," Elliot whispered in her ear, caressing her arm. "Take deep breaths, baby."

Olivia took a deep breath and clenched her jaw.

"Well, hurry up and ask. And no more loving shit, okay?" Serena spoke harshly.

"I know I didn't come into the world as planned, but why couldn't you find it in your heart to love me, mom?"

"Because I didn't want you," Serena snarled.

"Why couldn't you have given me up for adoption then?! Why did you have to treat me like shit?! All I ever wanted to do was to make you happy! Proud."

Serena finally softened. She sighed and reached over to her daughter.

Olivia instantly flinched but settled, feeling her mom wipe away her tears.

"And you did, baby girl... I'm just not mother material. I'm glad to see you happy though. You deserve to be loved," she said and looked at Elliot. "Don't hurt my baby and keep her happy. Something I could never do."

Elliot nodded. "Of course."

"Anymore questions, Olivia?"

If Olivia had anymore questions she couldn't think of them now. Her mother's sudden, unexpected apology had shocked her.

Slowly shaking her head, Olivia stood up with Elliot standing up behind her.

Olivia swallowed. "I know you apologized, mom, but it doesn't take away the pain or any of the marks you left on my body."

Nodding, Serena stood up slowly. "I know, Olivia, and I wish I could take it back... But I can't turn back the clock."

Seeing Olivia's stress, Elliot wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "Let's go home, babe."

Elliot then looked up at his mom, who nodded.

"Yeah, I think it's time to head back home," Angie said, softly and guided Elliot and Olivia out.

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Being guided back to the car with a hand on the small of her back, Olivia refused to say a word, no matter how much Elliot tried to get her to talk. She wouldn't even talk to Angie. Both Elliot and Angie had given up trying.

Angie unlocked the car and got in the driver's seat, as Elliot opened the back passenger door and said, "Get in, 'Livia," he whispered.

Once Olivia got in and put on her seatbelt, Elliot closed the door behind her and headed over to the other side.

Twenty minutes went by in silence, with Angie occasionally looking in the rearview mirror, keeping an eye on them, well mainly Olivia. Elliot decided that to give it another try to get Olivia to talk. He knew that it wasn't going to be an easy task.

Placing his hand on her thigh, he gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Liv, baby... " he said softly, gently caressing her thigh.

This time Olivia didn't even lift up her sunglasses to reveal her eyes, which were most probably red and glassy from crying.

Her mother just had to throw her into another whirlwind as a last screw you, knowing that her daughter probably wouldn't come back.

"What?" she finally spoke. The tears evident in her voice.

"Are you okay? You want to talk about it?"

Olivia just shook her head and looked back out the window, causing Elliot to sigh.

"I'm here for you when you want to talk, beautiful," he assured her with a kiss on the cheek.

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Alone in the house for the night since Angie and Mike were spending a night alone and Emily was sleeping at a friend's house, Olivia was laying in Elliot's arms in bed well after dark, Olivia sighed and rolled over to face him, knowing that he was still awake.

"Hi, baby," Elliot whispered and rested his forehead against hers. "Ready to talk?"

Olivia shook her head and planted a light kiss on his lips. "Make love to me," she whispered.

Caressing her cheek, Elliot used his thumb to softly graze over her lips. "Gorgeous, I'd love to make love to you..."

"Well do it," Olivia said, seductively, as her hand travelled down his abdomen to his boxers, heading for his shaft.

Elliot gasped and pulled her hand away. "Baby, no. Once you get me started I won't be able to stop."

Getting up, Olivia straddled him. "That's kinda the point, El."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he rubbed her lower back. "Liv, you got to stop. No matter how much I want to make love to you, you need to talk to me. Making love won't help," he whispered, looking in to her eyes.

"Forget it," Olivia grumbled and went to get off of him.

Not letting go and tightly his grip slightly, Elliot stopped her from leaving. "Olivia, stop. Please talk to me, I'm here for you."

"We have Church in the morning," Olivia tried to distract him, to throw him off her scent.

Unfortunately it didn't work for Olivia.

"I know, baby, but I still won't sleep until you talk. For better or worse, gorgeous, remember that."

Sighing in defeat, Olivia opened her mouth to talk, only to be stopped by the phone ringing.

Elliot groaned. "Who the hell calls at 10:45 at night?!" he muttered and picked up the reciever. "Hello?"

"Hi El, it's Casey. Is Liv awake?"

Olivia closed her eyes and laid down on top of Elliot, comfortably.

"Yes, but what do you want?" he asked while he rubbed Olivia's back with his free hand.

"To ask Liv something," Casey replied, getting frustrated with Elliot.

Continuing to rub Olivia's back, he kissed the top of her head. "No, Casey. Ask me or wait until we get home from Church tomorrow," he told her adamantly.

"I need help on an assignment that's due on Monday. She's better at the subject then me."

"And you waited till nearly eleven on Saturday night to ask. You're unbelievable, Casey," he said, finishing in a whisper, noticing that Olivia had fallen asleep on top of him.

"Please, El. If I fail this subject my parents will kick my ass."

"She's finally fallen asleep, Casey, after a rough day and I'm not waking her up."

Casey groaned. "Whatever," she muttered and hung up.

Elliot hung up the phone and started rubbing Olivia back again. "I'm here for you, baby, always. I love you. Goodnight," he whispered and closed his eyes, letting sleep take over.

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. For the next please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything or anyone you recognize.**

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Two months later, Olivia found herself throwing up for the third morning in a row and she still needed to get ready for school.

Entering the bathroom, Elliot wet a cloth and squatted down behind her. He gently wiped her face and neck before planting a light kiss on her cheek.

"Maybe you should stay home from school today, baby. I'll see your teachers and get your work," he offered.

Olivia shook her head and retched again, trying to keep vomit from getting on her school clothes. "No," she said, when the nausea finally subsided and she leaned back in to her boyfriend's embrace.

Gently rubbing her belly, Elliot whispered in her ear, "Sweetie, you can't go to school throwing your guts up. You need to get back in to bed. Mom and dad have just left for work, so you don't have to worry."

Olivia shook her head and groaned. "Stay home with me then? Cause your mom won't be back till tonight and I don't want to be alone."

"I'll just go to school to pick up our work and I'll come straight back home," he promised.

Olivia nodded and slowly moved, so Elliot could get up.

"I'm going to pick you up, gorgeous."

Shaking her head, Olivia insisted that she could walk back to bed.

"I know you can, Liv, but you have an upset belly, so I'm going to carry you," he said and delicately scooped her up off to cold, tiled floor.

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Tip-toeing back in to the house, Elliot softly shut the door behind him. He had made a quick stop at the pharmacy after calling his mom at work and told her the symptoms that Olivia had whined to him about. She wasn't impressed but told him to pick up a pregnancy test because by the sounds of it, Olivia was pregnant.

And being at work, Angie did not have time to give him the lecture about sex before marriage and teenage pregnancy.

He placed their school work and the paper bag containing the test on the coffee table and tip-toed in to their bedroom.

Finding Olivia still curled up in bed, fast asleep, Elliot smiled and laid down behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle.

He felt her stir before she rolled over in his arms and opened her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," she groaned.

"I'm here for you, gorgeous. Tell me exactly what you are feeling," he said and laid on his back, so Olivia could snuggle in to his side and rest her head on his chest.

Getting comfortable, Olivia sighed, contently. "You really wanna know, El?" she mumbled.

Elliot nodded and kissed the tip of her nose. "Yeah, I do, baby."

Olivia sighed. "I feel nauseous and my boobs hurt... And I missed a period," she grumbled.

Elliot insisted on knowing, so she told him.

"Liv, I think you're pregnant."

In shock, Olivia shot up and threw up in between herself and Elliot before she could get up.

Elliot instantly scooped her up and hurriedly carried her in to the bathroom, placing her in front of the toilet, just in time for round two.

He rubbed her back and kissed her neck. "I'm going to run you a bath and change the sheets, angel."

Groaning, Olivia nodded and rested her head on her arm, on the back of the toilet seat.

Re-entering the bathroom after changing the bed sheets, Elliot turned the bath taps off and helped Olivia up off the floor.

As Elliot helped her out of her nightgown, he noticed that her whole body was shaking. He gently cupped her face in his hands and looked in to her scared, chocolate brown eyes. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Olivia shook her head with a sniffled. "I... I c-can't be p-pregnant, El. I'm only sixteen for Pete's sake... I'll only be seventeen when I give birth to it," she stuttered.

Even though she was standing there in only panties, Elliot hugged his girlfriend. "If you're pregnant, baby, I'll be right by your side. I won't leave you," he promised.

Gently pulling back, Olivia looked in to his eyes. "You promise?"

With a nod, Elliot planted a kiss on her lips. "Yes. Bath time now, gorgeous," he said and helped her in to the tub.

Getting comfortable in the soothing warm water, Olivia looked up at Elliot. "Could you please go get me a test, El?"

"Already did, Liv, I'll just go grab it," he said and went downstairs in to the living room.

Elliot returned a minute later with the test in hand and grabbed a hand towel. "Here, babe, dry your hands so you can read the box," he said softly.

Olivia nodded and dried her hands with the offered towel. "Swap you," she said, holding out the towel.

Swapping the towel for the test, Olivia instantly started to read the back of the box. "Five minutes?!"

Sitting down on the closed lidded toilet, Elliot looked up. "Five minutes what, Liv?"

"After I piss on the damn stick, it's going to take five minutes for the results to show up," she replied. "I'll go insane waiting."

Elliot laughed lightly. "We'll find something to do, baby. You starting to feel better now?"

Nodding slowly, Olivia passed Elliot back the test. "Yeah, a lil bit. I just want to take the test and lay down with you."

Elliot nodded and stood up, placing the test on the sink. "I'll make you some toast."

With a groan at the thought of food, Olivia said, "I'll just throw it back up."

"It's dry and you need food in your belly, baby, especially if you're pregnant."

Olivia nodded. "Okay."

"Okay, I'll be back unless you don't want my help."

"I'll be alright, honey. Thank you."

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Entering the living room, Olivia found Elliot waiting for her on the couch, which was unfolded for the sofa bed. It would only be temporary as they would have to fold it back when Elliot's parents came home from work.

Elliot looked up to see Olivia dressed in a pair of grey, baggy sweat pants and one of his tops, which she just about swam in. In her hand was the peed on stick, which would tell them if she was pregnant or not, any minute now.

Elliot patted the spot beside him on the sofa bed. "Come take a seat, babe."

Sitting down slowly to avoid another sudden wave of nausea, Olivia snuggled in to Elliot and show him the test. "Now we wait, huh?"

Kissing his girlfriend's cheek, he picked up a cut half of a lightly buttered slice of toast.

Shaking her head, she clamped her mouth shut.

Elliot cupped her cheek with his free hand and rested his forehead against hers. "Baby, please. I don't want to have to rush you to hospital for malnutrition or dehydration," he begged.

Sighing, Olivia opened her mouth and took a bite. Eating it, she looked down at the pregnancy test and just about choked. Elliot had to pat her back.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered against threatening tears.

Planting a soft, reassuring kiss on her lips, Elliot rested a hand on her belly.

"And I'm here for you, beautiful. I won't let you do this on your own. We're going to be parents, gorgeous. A family."

Olivia sobbed. "W-what about school? I still have a year left after this, El. I was also planning on college....Oh, shit, and what about your parents?"

"Let's go see the doctor first, Liv, and see how far along you are. Then we'll talk to my parents properly and see what they say," he suggested.

Nodding, Olivia gave Elliot a kiss on the lips. "Thank you, El. I love you."

Nuzzling noses with her, Elliot whispered, "I love you too, gorgeous."

"I better make a doctors appointment."

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After managing to hold off on his mother's lecture the night before, Elliot woke up to an empty bed the next morning. It startled him. He rushed in to the bathroom but found it empty.

Waking to the sound of someone rushing around, Angie opened her bedroom door. "El? What are you doing, son? It's too early."

"I'm sorry, mom. Just looking for Olivia."

Furrowing her brows, Angie asked, "She's not in bed?"

Elliot shook her head. "No. I'm sorry to wake you. You can go back to bed."

With a nod, Angie said, "Okay. Night, El."

"Night mom," he replied and watched her shut the door again before he rushed down the stairs.

Heading in to the living room, Elliot called out for Olivia softly. "'Livia, baby?"

"I'm here, El," he heard her call back, just as softly.

He found her sitting on the couch, catching up on the day before school work.

"It's five thirty in the morning, beautiful. What are you doing up?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

Sighing, Olivia put down her pen and rubbed her tired eyes. "I had some morning sickness earlier and since I was already up, I decided to finish the rest of my work from yesterday."

Rubbing her arms, Elliot said, "Come back to bed. Your doctor appointment is at nine, gorgeous."

"El, I got to finish this."

"And you will, Livia. I'll help you with it when we get back home," he said and got up.

Olivia nodded, tiredly and let Elliot help her up. "Take me to bed."

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Laying on the table in Dr. Grace Calibee, her new OB/GYN's, office, Olivia was enduring her first gynecology exam and she found it uncomfortable.

"Ugh! Can you please stop?" she groaned, clutching Elliot's hand.

"All done," Dr Calibee said, taking off her gloves. "You can put your legs down now and we will do an ultrasound now. Raise the gown to just under your breasts, sweetheart."

Grace had been the only OB/GYN who didn't reject or criticize Olivia for being pregnant at the age of sixteen. The same thing had happened to her, so she knew what it was like to be in Olivia's shoes and promised to be there for Olivia and Elliot all the way.

Once Olivia did as she was told, Grace picked up the bottle of gel. "It's going to be cold, sweetie," she warned Olivia before squirting some on her near flat belly.

Wincing at the cold, Olivia smiled and turned to the screen, waiting for the picture to come up.

The screen lit up and the outline of the fetus appeared on the screen.

"There's your baby. You look about eight or nine weeks, Olivia, and everything looks good. You want to hear the heartbeat?"

Seeing Olivia's tears, Elliot wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. "Yes, please," he answered for her.

Smiling, Grace flicked a switch and the room filled with a fast galloping like sound. "There it is."

"Oh, my God!" Olivia gasped. "El!"

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Elliot kissed her on the lips. "I know, baby, it's beautiful."

"Can we get some pictures please?"

"Sure, how many would you like?" Dr. Calibee asked as she wiped the gel off Olivia's belly.

"Three please."

"Sure," Dr Calibee said and printed out three copies for them.

"I got pee so bad," Olivia whispered and rushed in to the bathroom.

Passing the pictures to Elliot, Grace smiled. "I'll need to see Olivia again in a month. With her being so young, I would like to see her more often to see how everything is going, okay?"

Elliot nodded. "Sure. She'll be here."

Grace smiled and shook his hand. "Good. It was nice to meet you two."

"You too."

A couple minutes went by in silence before the bathroom door opened and Olivia walked out, looking a little pale.

"You okay, beautiful?" Elliot asked, wrapping his arms around her.

Wrapping her arms around Elliot in return and resting her head in his chest, Olivia sighed, "Yeah."

Kissing the crown of her head, he asked, "More morning sickness?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she breathed.

"Olivia?"

Turning her head to look at her OB/GYN, Olivia didn't move her head from the comfort of Elliot's chest. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you tell me about how bad the morning sickness was? How long as it been that bad?"

"Just a few days," Olivia answered softly as Elliot rubbed her back.

"Are you able to keep food and drink down?"

"Yeah, most of the time. It depends when and what it is though."

Grace nodded and rubbed Olivia's upper back. "If it gets worse, honey, you call me. Here's my card and I'm here for you, if you need to ask questions. Remember, I had my first child at your age, I know what you're going through, honey, okay?"

Nodding, Olivia slightly smiled. "Thank you. El, can you please take me home please? I have more school work to finish and I need to lay down."

"Okay, Liv, let's go. See you next month."

"Bye," Olivia whispered.

"Take care, Olivia. See you again soon," Grace said and waved as Elliot and Olivia walked out.

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Standing in Elliot's embrace, in the elevator, Olivia placed a hand over Elliot's, which was resting on her belly and looked at one of the ultrasound pictures.

"Really fascinated by the baby, aren't you?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. I've never even held a baby before, El. I have a lot of research to do before the baby comes. We... I need to prepare myself for the baby as well as keep up with my school work," she started to ramble, nervously.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, Elliot took Olivia's hand in his and they walked out to the car.

"Baby, you're only two months. We have seven more to prepare."

"I want to be prepared before the baby comes, El, not just as it comes. I need information on pregnancy too, so I know what to expect 'cause as of right now, I have no idea."

Elliot kissed her on the cheek. "You got any names you like?" he asked, helping her in to the passenger seat.

When Elliot got in the driver's seat, Olivia answered. "For a boy, I like, Isaiah and for a girl, Bella."

"As in Isabella?" Elliot asked, putting the key in the ignition.

Olivia shook her head. "No. Just Bella. Italian for Beautiful," she explained.

Elliot smiled. "I like them. Now let's head home. I just hope mom and dad aren't home from shopping yet," he said, pulling in to traffic.

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Unfortunately for Olivia and Elliot, Angie and Mike were home and waiting for them. So 10:45 am found them sitting at the kitchen table and Elliot's parents were lecturing them about sex before marriage and teen pregnancy.

"... Unbelievable. I thought you were smarter then this, really," Angie concluded as Mike rubbed her back.

"You kids better take responsibility for that little being," Mike added.

Giving Olivia's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, Elliot said, "We are, mom, dad. Olivia had her first OB appointment this morning, there's where we went... And she's eight weeks. Due in the middle of July."

"E-eight weeks?! Did you two have sex that night you spent alone in that hotel?! The first night that you were alone?!" Angie was angry and disappointment at the pair.

Olivia's natural olive toned skin turned pale and her hand flew to her mouth. "Excuse me," she rushed and bolted for the downstairs bathroom.

She was really hating this morning sickness. This was the most she'd ever thrown up and it was beginning to burn her throat. She didn't know how much longer she could put up with it.

"You better marry that girl before that child comes in to the world, Elliot," Mike scolded his son as Elliot stood up.

With a sigh, Elliot replied, "Was planning on it, dad. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to take responsibility. I love Olivia more then anything in this world."

Mike nodded. "Well you can say goodbye to your partying days, son."

"I don't care, dad," Elliot replied and rushed off to the bathroom.

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Olivia was sitting with her back against the wall, her head back, facing the ceiling as she was breathing heavily.

Wetting a towel, Elliot asked, "You okay, baby?"

"For now," she whispered as Elliot wiped her face and neck with the wet towel.

"Your belly settled enough to walk upstairs, to get in to bed?"

Groaning, Olivia was unwilling to cooperate and closed her eyes.

"Okay, that answers my question. Come on, gorgeous," he whispered, scooping her up delicately as to not upset her stomach again.

Carrying her toward the staircase, Elliot found his parents standing right near them. They had been waiting for him.

Seeing their son carrying his pregnant girlfriend with her head snuggled in to his neck, Angie smiled at how caring her son was.

"Morning sickness?" she asked softly, remembering what it was like.

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, I'm just going to lay her down in bed, to get some sleep."

"When you've put her to bed, El, we want to talk to you alone," Mike said, seriously.

With a sigh, Elliot nodded, being careful of Olivia's head in the curve of his neck. "Sure. I'll be back down in a minute."

"We'll meet you back in the kitchen," Mike told him before he and Angie headed there.

"I'm sorry, I got you in to trouble, El," Olivia whispered as Elliot carried her up the stairs.

Rubbing her arm, Elliot asked, "How is it your fault, beautiful?"

"'Cause I was the one who initiated the sex the first time."

Elliot planted a kiss on her head. "Well it could have happened the second time, baby... It wasn't necessarily from the first time."

"Okay," Olivia whispered, distantly as Elliot laid her down on their bed.

He tucked her in and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll just back downstairs talking to the 'rents, gorgeous. Call me if you need me."

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Somberly, Elliot headed back down the stairs, he was in so much trouble, he knew it.

Approaching the kitchen, he saw his mom and dad talking and agreeing on something and he wondered exactly what it was.

Silently he sat down and waited for one of them to talk.

Mike spoke first. "Since you and Olivia are expecting, we think that you and her should get a taste of the real world and we're going to help you and her find an apartment to live in. We will pay for rent and bills but only the first few months. After that you are on your own, so, you should start looking for a full time job, which you can start as soon as school ends."

Elliot gulped. "Are you for real?"

Angie nodded. "Yes, indeed we are, son. We will be here for you and Olivia though, we are not abandoning you. We can baby sit the baby sometimes too, so you can have some time alone but you both need to get out in to the real world."

With a sigh, Elliot nodded and stood up. "I... I'll go and talk to Liv about it, let her know what's happening."

Mike stood up too. "The four of us are going to start looking for apartments tomorrow. Don't expect anything glamorous because we can't afford anything that good, okay?"

"Thanks," Elliot whispered and walked up stairs.

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**Please don't forget to review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter was added in at the last minute. I hope you like it. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Early the next morning found Olivia laying snuggled in to Elliot's side with her head resting on his chest and an arm flung carelessly over his stomach. Elliot had his arms around her, his hands resting on her lower back, under the covers. Both teens were sound asleep.

The bedroom door was slowly pushed open and Angie appeared in the doorway, already showered and fully dressed for the day.

Walking over to the window, she pulled open the curtains, allowing the bright early morning sun to lighten up the room.

"Rise and shine, you two!" she called out, startling Elliot and Olivia awake.

Startled, the teens shot up in the bed. Olivia was rubbing her eyes as Elliot tried to shield his from the light.

With a half asleep groan, Elliot asked, "What the...?! Mom?"

"Get up, you two. Get showered and dressed before breakfast. We're apartment hunting today, remember?"

"Okay, okay. We're getting up," Elliot said and went to get up but Olivia sprung up out of bed first.

She ran out of the room and in to the bathroom for her first round of morning sickness for the day.

"I'll meet you downstairs, son," Angie told him, emotionlessly, and went to leave, but Elliot's somber voice stopped her.

"Please don't hate us, mom."

With a sigh, Angie turned back to her son and rubbed his upper back.

"I don't hate you or Olivia, Elliot. Neither does your father. Disappointed, yes, but hate, definitely not. Go check on Olivia, I've got to cook breakfast," she said softly and left.

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Walking in to the bathroom, Elliot found Olivia sitting with her back to the side of the bathtub. With her head back, she was breathing heavily, trying to hold down the next wave of nausea.

"Liv?" he spoke softly as he approached.

Opening her eyes, Olivia moved her head back down and smiled slightly. "Hey," she whispered.

Elliot squatted down in front of Olivia and caressed her cheek. "You okay?"

With a slight nod, Olivia whispered, "For now. Could you flush the toilet for me please?"

"Sure," Elliot replied and stood up to flush the toilet.

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It had been a long day and they were on to apartment number three. There was one more after this still to take a look at before they could head him.

As soon as Mike pulled up to the curb, Olivia was out of the car in a flash, being sick all over the sidewalk. It was more dry heaves then anything though.

Coming up to her side, Elliot rubbed her back. "You okay?"

Exhaling a deep breath, Olivia slowly stood up properly again with Elliot's assistance. "Yeah, for now," she breathed.

As they headed in to the apartment building, Angie rubbed Olivia's arm, softly. "I know how you feel, Liv. I had bad morning sickness too the first time. We'll get you some saltines on the way home. Hopefully they will help you."

Mike reached the elevator first and pressed the button. "Come on, guys, we have to go up to the sixth floor."

"Oh, God, I hope they let me use the bathroom," Olivia groaned as Elliot took her hand in his.

Caressing the back of Olivia's head as they stepped in to the elevator, Elliot said, "I'm sure they will, Liv."

The silver doors slid shut behind them and Mike pressed the six button.

"Which apartment is it?" asked Elliot.

Reading the sheet of paper in his hand, Mike replied, "Six E."

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The super met them at the apartment door. He was a brown haired, hazel eyed man, who looked to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties and athletic. "Stabler family?"

"Yes, I'm Mike and this is my wife, Angela. And these are Elliot and Olivia. We're looking for an apartment for them."

The man nodded, even though he was thinking that they were too young to moving out on their own. "Okay, I'm Phil Greene. I'll show you around."

"Can I please use the bathroom?" Olivia instantly pounced.

"Ah sure, I'll show you where it is. I'll show you that part of the apartment first," the super said politely and guided them through the kitchen to a white painted pine door. "This is the bathroom here," he said and opened the door.

"Excuse me," Olivia said softly and rushed in, shutting the door behind her.

Furrowing his brows, Elliot looked at his mother. "Is that normal, mom?"

"What?"

"Is it normal for her to be going to use the bathroom so much, other then morning sickness I mean, does it mean something is wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Angie nodded. "Yes, honey, she's pregnant, remember? So yeah, it is, son. It will only get more frequent as the baby grows."

The bathroom door opened a minute later and Olivia walked out.

"You okay, babe?" Elliot asked, taking her hand in his.

With a nod, Olivia rested her head on Elliot's shoulder. "Yeah. Sorry everyone."

"It's okay, honey," Angie said for everyone, "Let's check the rest of this place out."

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Looking around the kitchen, they saw the fridge beside the counter, which ran along the front wall. Above the counter were high cupboards with a microwave on the shelf above the stove, which was set at the other end of the long counter, opposite to the fridge.

A wall with a large rectangle shaped cut out seperated the kitchen from the dining room/ living room, with an arch shaped doorway to walk through.

Heading back in to the living room, which was small but provided enough room for Olivia, Elliot and the baby, when it entered the world.

Luckily this apartment came fully furnished, so it looked like they were going to be taking this one.

There was three seater red couch facing the window, the TV in front of the window, an empty book shelf was set against the right wall, opposite to the kitchen and just beside the kitchen wall was a small square table with four chairs.

It was pretty bare right now but when they moved Elliot's stuff from the house, it would make it a little more lively.

"Now through to the bedrooms. There are two," the super said and showed them through a door to a small hallway.

Opening the door on the left showed a small master bedroom. Maybe the size of Elliot's bedroom at the house. There was a queen sized bed in there with a nightstand on each side, with a lamp on each and a chest drawers sat opposite the bed.

They walked out and went in to the bedroom opposite, which was a little smaller then the master.

It was empty besides the small chest of drawers. It would be perfect for the nursery, once they filled it with a crib, changing table, other then necessary items and of course it would be complete when the baby came.

Heading back in to the living room, the super looked at the group. "Like it?"

"How much a month?" Mike asked.

"Four hundred a month."

Mike nodded. "We'll take it. When can they move in?"

"Tomorrow would be fine and it will be month by month rent."

Nodding agan, Mike offered his hand, which the super shook. "Thank you."

"No problem. Meet me here at nine tomorrow and you can sign the forms, pay the first month and I'll give you the keys."

"We'll be here," Mike reassured the man before the four of them left.

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As soon as they walked in to the house, Mike stopped Elliot and Olivia before they could escape upstairs to the bedroom.

"While Olivia has a lay down, I want you to start packing, Elliot and Olivia can help after. Your mother and I will be up soon to help as well."

With a nod, Elliot placed his hand back on Olivia's lower back and said, "Thanks, dad. Come on, beautiful."

In the bedroom, Elliot guided Olivia to the bed and she laid down slowly, as to avoid the nausea. Tucking her in, Elliot kissed her on the lips. "Sleep, baby. You were very unsettled last night."

Nodding, Olivia shut her eyes and rolled on to her side, sleeping consuming her quickly.

As he packed, Elliot found himself thinking to himself about how strict his parents were being. How quickly they were making them move out on their own. And how quickly they were getting Olivia to be considered emancipated due to her pregnancy. They were in a rush to get them out of the house.

They told him that they did not hate them but did they not love them anymore?

Elliot didn't know how long he had been packing for when he was startled by his mother's voice. It was soft like she didn't want her husband to hear what was going on.

"Yes, mom?" he replied, just as softly as to not wake Olivia, who was sleeping peacefully.

She took a hold of one of her son's hand, turning it palm up to her and placed a very old, shiny gold banded ring with two small diamonds on it, in to his hand. "Propose to Olivia with this ring, El. It was my mother's. Don't tell your father, okay?"

"Don't tell me what?" Mike asked, walking in.

Elliot discreetly put the ring in to his pants pocket as his mother replied, "That Olivia is asleep."

Mike shrugged his shoulders, unconcerned. "That's fine. She can have a little longer. I could tell that today took a long out of her," he said and started to move some of the heavy stuff, which would go in to a truck that he had rented for the next day.

-0-0-0-0-0-

With a suitcase filled, Elliot zipped it close and Olivia awoke, opening her eyes with a groan.

"Here's some saltines, Liv," Angie said, passing a small bag containing a few to her.

Sitting up slowly, Olivia accepted the bag. "Thank you," she said and slowly ate one, not sure if her stomach was going to handle it or not.

"You alright to pack the rest of our clothes, Liv?" Elliot asked, caressing her face.

Nodding, Olivia got up. "Sure, I can handle that," she whispered and headed over to the drawers.

As she packed their clothing, Olivia could feel the tension in the small bedroom. With a sigh, she folded the t-shirt, which belonged to Elliot, in her hand. "Okay, just say it," she whispered, sadly.

With furrowed brows, Elliot, Angie and Mike turned to Olivia, confused.

Rubbing her back, Elliot asked, "Say what, babe?"

Shaking her head, Olivia said, "Not you, El... Look, we made a mistake, I get that, but I do not regret any of it. You may hate me but don't hate Elliot." She sniffled and went straight back to packing clothing, trying to hide her tears.

Taking Olivia's hands in hers, Angie stopped Olivia and made her drop the pair of jeans that she was about to put in to the suitcase. "Liv, look at me, darling," she told her softly as Elliot and Mike watched on silently.

When Olivia didn't look up, Angie let go of one of Olivia's hands and gently cupped her chin, lifting her head up, gently, but Olivia still avoiding eye contact. "Olivia, please."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Olivia finally looked at Angie. "Yes?"

"Liv, we don't hate you. Disppointed, absolutely, but I assure you that we do not hate you, okay?"

Nodding, Olivia whispered, "Okay."

"We're moving you two out because we're sure that you don't want to be still living here, married with a baby."

Olivia licked her bottom lip. "No, not really."

Angie smiled and gently wiped away Olivia's tears. "That's right, honey," she said and pulled away. "Come on, Mike, let's give them some time alone."

With a nod, Mike took Angie's hand in his and they left, shutting the door behind them.

With his parents gone, Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia and kissed the crown of her head, rubbing her back. "You okay now?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. We've got to finish packing."

Gently pulling back, Elliot said, "And we will." Reaching in to his pocket, Elliot took out the ring that his mom had given him and he took Olivia's left hand in his right.

Olivia furrowed her brows and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Olivia Quinn Benson, will you marry me?"

Tears began to glisten her chocolate brown eyes. "Yes, yes, I will marry you, Elliot James Stabler."

Elliot slid the ring on Olivia's finger and claimed her lips with his. "I love you so much," he whispered against her lips after pulling away for oxygen.

"I love you so much too. Let's finish packing and tomorrow, we will start out new life together," she said, placing Elliot's hand on her still near flat belly.

Rubbing his new fiancée's belly, Ellot whispered, "Yeah, let's." Continuing to rub her belly, he claimed her lips again, starting a hot, toe-curling kiss, only to pull way when they heard someone clear their throat in the doorway. It was Emily.

"Okay, that's enough, sick, loving crap," she laughed. "Dad said that I have to help you two pack and Mom will be back up in a minute."

"Can you give us another minute, Emily?" Elliot asked, through gritted teeth.

Emily scoffed. "No, I don't wanna get in to trouble for not doing what I was told to do."

With near synchronized groans, Olivia and Elliot relucatantly pulled away from one another and went back to packing.

"Fine," Elliot seethed, unhappily. "Let's get this over with."

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**Please don't forget to review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the big time jump but I thought that people would want to see more of Olivia as a young mother then of her pregnancy, more of the pregnancy still to come though. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything or anyone you recognize.**

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Being six months in her pregnancy, Olivia now had a pronounced belly and the back pains had started. At her last ultrasound, they had been so excited that they found out the sex of their child. It was a boy, which had shocked Angie, when they told her, because she had been convinced that Olivia was having a girl. And as promised they were going to getting married before the baby came, with the wedding set for next month.

Waking up to the kicking baby in her womb and finding it too early to want to get up, Olivia rolled on to her side and made sure that the spare pillow was under her protruding stomach for comfort.

Rubbing her bump, she whispered, "Go back to sleep."

With a groan, Elliot rolled on to his side to face his fiancée, Elliot asked, "Talking to me or the baby, beautiful?"

Olivia groaned and continued to rub her belly, in effort to settle the baby down. "The baby but let's just say the both of you."

Laughing lightly and rubbing Olivia's belly, Elliot looked up at the clock. "Woah! Settle down in there, son. We have to get up for school in like two minutes, Liv."

Olivia tried to hold back a sudden sob but Elliot caught it.

Caressing her back, Elliot kissed the tip of Olivia's nose. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Olivia hated the hormones, making her cry at the drop of a hat. "I don't want to go to school. People stare and point like I am some sort of circus freak."

"Alex and Casey don't. Their hands are always on your belly and they want to be known as 'Aunt' Alex and 'Aunt' Casey," Elliot whispered with his hand still on Olivia's belly.

Wiping away her tears, Olivia nodded and slowly sat up. "We better get ready for school." She didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Can I shower with you?" he asked, cautiously.

Pushing her pregnant frame up off the bed and shook her head. "I need some time alone."

Standing up himself, Elliot nodded in understanding and went to follow her out. "Sure, baby. I'll make you some breakfast."

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Turning on the shower taps, Olivia stripped out of her black maternity pajamas in front of the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. She stood profile to the mirror and studied her ever growing bump, running her hands over the mound and then over the ever noticable stretch marks.

"I'm so fat," she groaned, rubbing roaming circles on her belly. "I don't know how I'm going to be as a mom, kid, but I'm sure going to try my best," she promised her unborn son before checking that the shower water wasn't too hot and hoping in.

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Walking through the school yard, holding Elliot's hand, heading for the first class of the day, Olivia could already feel eyes on her and her growing abdomen.

"I can't believe Elliot Stabler knocked that bitch up," a rich, snobby girl commented loudly.

Angry at the comment, Elliot gave Olivia's hand a reassuring squeeze and rubbed the cocoon sheltering their son before turning to the blonde with her group of other bottle blonde friends. "Don't you dare insult my fiancée and unborn child, Lucy... And all of you can stay the hell away from her. I don't trust any of you," he said and turned back to Olivia, placing his hand back on her belly, which Olivia pushed off.

"I can take care of myself, Elliot," she hissed.

Bowing his head with a sigh, Elliot said, "I know, Livia. I'm sorry, they just piss me off. Let's get to class."

With a smile, Olivia rubbed the back of Elliot's hand with her thumb. "Thanks, El."

Confused, Elliot looked up at her and saw her smile. "Huh?"

Placing his hand back on her stomach, she explained the outburst, simply, "Sorry, hon. Hormones."

Elliot nodded. "Okay, let's get you to class."

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Reaching her class, Olivia gave Elliot a kiss on the lips. "See you at morning break."

Rubbing Olivia's belly as a 'see you' to their son, Elliot returned the kiss. "Yep. Love you."

"Love you too," she replied and walked in to her class.

Ignoring all the eyes on her and the snide comments, Olivia headed toward the back of the classroom to Casey and Alex.

"There's our favourite mommy to be," Casey greeted her as her and Alex's hands flew straight to her belly.

"Wow, he's kicking," Alex said with a smile.

Groaning, Olivia rubbed her back. "Yeah, 'cause he heard loud mouth over here," she joked, looking at Casey.

In response, Casey poked out her tongue and continued to rub her best friend's belly.

"You guys finished teasing him?" Olivia asked, with her hands supporting her aching back. She wanted to sit down.

"Sit down, ladies, and get yout books out," Mrs. Hutchinson, the health teacher said. "Except Olivia. Come up here, Miss Benson."

Sighing, Olivia walked to the front of the class with her hands resting protectively on her bump.

"Do we need to go over unprotected sex and the results again, class? Because Olivia here is the perfect model of the results of unsafe sex. Pregnant at the age of sixteen, class."

Olivia hated Mrs. Hutchinson, she had the tenacity to belittle people and make them feel like shit. "Actually I'm now seventeen," she whispered.

The class started laughing, except for Alex and Casey, who hid in the back.

"Sit down, Miss Benson, if you can fit behind the desks, that is."

Olivia just shook her head and walked straight out of the class, feeling utterly embarrassed.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

"Out of here," Olivia replied and rushed out, holding back the threatening tears.

"Liv!"

"Quiet, Miss Novak."

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Wandering aimlessly around the school for the rest of the lesson, only hiding from teachers, Olivia caught up with Casey and Alex, who were looking for her.

They met up with her near the girls' restroom as Olivia walked out.

"You okay, Liv?" Casey asked, her eyes conveying concern.

Hands protectively on her belly, like usual, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I gotta go get my books for math class," she said and headed to her locker.

Seeing Lucy and her friends hanging around the lockers, she stopped and went to turn around but they saw her before she could.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't 'Knocked up' Benson," Lucy said, laughing at her own stupid joke. "Have fun in health? Cause we certainly did."

Opening her locker, Olivia shook her head. "Just leave me alone."

Lucy went to push her in to the locker, not caring that she was six months pregnant but screamed as she was grabbed from behind.

"What the hell did I tell you just over an hour ago?" Elliot snapped as he shoved her away. "Keep away from my fiancée! Livia, put your book back."

"I have math class, El."

Taking her hand, Elliot kissed her on the lips, ignoring the comments from Lucy and her group. "Not anymore, baby. We're going."

Olivia nodded and shut her locker. "How did you know where I was?" she asked as Elliot led her to the car.

"I bumped in to Casey and Alex on the way to class. They told me what happened in class. Mrs Hutchinson had no fucking right to do that to you," he said and opened the car door, when they reached it.

As Elliot helped her in to the car, Olivia whispered, "I was so embarrased."

"I don't blame you, Liv, it would have been. Put your belt on, babe."

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While Olivia was laying down on the couch, watching some soap opera, Elliot was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and used the time to call his mom.

"Stabler residence," Emily answered. The sound of the same soap opera that Olivia was watching was in the background.

"Hey, Em, can I talk to mom?" he asked, keeping his voice down, so that Olivia couldn't hear him.

"Sure, El. Hold on a sec," Emily replied and put the phone reciever down.

A moment later, his mom's voice flowed through the reciever. "Hi, El, how are you, honey? How was school?"

Elliot sighed. "School was crap, mom."

"What happened?"

"Olivia's health teacher embarrassed her in front of her whole darn class. Saying about how she was the perfect model for the results of unsafe sex."

"You know she's right, El."

"Mom," Elliot groaned.

"But you're right, El, she had no right to do what she did. It's none of her business."

"Her whole class laughed at her and one of the snobby girls was going to push her in to her locker. She's six months pregnant for goodness sake."

"Calm down, son. The teasing is only going to get worse as she gets further along and the school year doesn't finish until she is eight months. You can not be with her the whole day either, El. You have your own classes to attend," Angie explained.

"Liv won't be able to handle it for two more months, mom. Those girls are ruthless."

Angie sighed. She knew that she should let them deal with this themselves but Olivia was carrying her grandchild and she didn't want anything to happen to him either. "Let me talk to the principal tomorrow morning, El, and I will see what I can sort out."

"Thank you..." Elliot started but was disturbed by Olivia calling for him.

"El!"

"Hang on, baby! I got to go, mom."

"Okay, El. Take care of Liv and my unborn grandbaby."

"I will. Bye," he said and hung up.

Walking in to the living room, Elliot panicked. Olivia was sitting up with her head down as she rubbed her belly.

"Liv, are you in pre-term labor?" he asked, rushing up to her and squatting down in front of her.

Olivia's head snapped up and she caressed his cheek with a smile. "No, baby, I'm fine. Zachary's just kicking mercilessly in there," she whispered, taking his hand and placing it where he could feel their son kicking.

"You... you're okay with the name Zachary?"

Nodding, Olivia placed her hand over his on her belly. "Yeah, Zachary Isaiah Stabler. Wow, only six months and we've already picked out a name, thought it would take longer then that."

Leaning down, Elliot lifted up Olivia's pink maternity top and kissed her bare, warm belly. "Good strong name. He's going to be a strong boy."

Olivia laughed. "He already is, with the way he kicks now and he's only going to get stronger as he gets bigger."

Putting Olivia's top back down before she got cold, Elliot rubbed her belly once more. "Settle down in there, Zac."

When the baby finally settled, Elliot looked up at Olivia. "What did you call me for, beautiful?"

Olivia had to think about it since they'd been distracted by Zachary. "Ah yes. I want chocolate sauce and pickles."

Furrowing his brows, Elliot stood up. "Together?"

Smiling, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, together. You have to go to the store though 'cause I ate the rest of the pickles last night while you were out with your dad."

Elliot laughed and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Back soon. Love you." His custom 'see you' was 'love you'.

"Love you too," she replied and listened to him leave.

He grabbed his car keys and money from the top of the cupboard in the foyer, opened and closed the door. Olivia then heard him get in the car and start it up before driving off.

Rubbing her belly, Olivia smiled. "I got your daddy wrapped around my little finger, Zac, and I'm sure that you will too when you arrive."

Yawning, she laid down and felt asleep without even realizing it, only to be woken by the apartment phone ringing sometime later.

With a groan, Olivia got up and walked in to the kitchen to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Liv, it's Angie."

Hearing something was wrong in her voice, Olivia began to panic and in response, Zachary started to kick again. "Angie, what's wrong? What's going on?"

Angie sighed. "Elliot's in the hospital, honey."

"What... What happened?"

"He was beaten up at the store. He's going to ask, so calm yourself down for the baby's sake. I'm about to come collect you, okay?"

"Thank you. See you in a few minutes," she said and hung up.

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With her coat, purse and keys in hand, Olivia was about to walk out of the apartment, only to be hit with a sudden need for the bathroom, so she had to rush back. Finally with that done, Olivia left the apartment, locking the door behind her and took the elevator down to the lobby. She emerged from the apartment building just in time to see Angie pull up at the curb.

Getting in to the passenger seat, Olivia tried to hide her tears but Angie caught them.

She gave Olivia a gentle rub on the thigh and drove out from the curb. "El's fine, honey. Mike's at the hospital with him and he said that Elliot is fine and asking for you."

"It's my fault!" she sobbed.

Turning on to another street, Angie asked, "How? How is it your fault, Liv?"

"I sent him to the store to get me pickles cause I had a craving."

Laughing lightly, Angie reached over and gently petted the mound containing her grandson. "It's not your fault or this little guy's fault, Olivia. You had a craving and you didn't know what was going to happen. Elliot doesn't blame you, he just needs to be reassured that the same people who attacked him haven't gone after you."

Olivia just nodded and stayed quiet the rest of the trip.

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Olivia slowly opened the hospital room door and gasped as a hand flew to her belly, the other to her mouth. "El!"

He really had taken a beating. Broken nose, a black eye, brusied jaw and they were just the injuries that she saw.

Seeing that his fiancée walk in, unhamed, Elliot sighed in relief that she and Zachary were safe. "Come here, baby," he whispered with open arms.

Being hugged a little too tightly, Elliot hissed in pain.

"Sorry, El. I'm so sorry," she sobbed in to his shoulder.

Rubbing her back, he kissed her neck. "It's okay, baby, it's okay. I'm okay, just got a couple bruised ribs."

"It's all my fault."

Gently pushing her back, Elliot looked in to her eyes and cupped her cheek. "How is it your fault, Livia? Huh? Tell me, beautiful."

"Because I sent you to the store to satisfy my craving."

"Come here, Liv," he ordered softly and gently pulled her down in to his lap.

Placing his hand on her belly, like he always did, since Zac had started to move around in there, Elliot rubbed it in light, roaming circles. "Settle down, Olivia. I don't think I need to tell you that you're upsetting Zachary here."

Tears now falling, Olivia shook her head. "No, you don't because I can feel him, El," she whispered and went to get up but Elliot stopped her.

"Stay here."

"But I'm too heavy, El."

Gently guiding her head to his shoulder with his free hand, Elliot shook his head. "No, you are not."

"I am six months pregnant, El, I'm heavy," she insisted.

"Liv, baby, you have got to settle down. You aren't too heavy at the moment, okay?"

Sighing contently, Olivia nodded.

The door opened and the doctor entered with Angie and Mike close behind.

"El, a few guys have gone to pick up the guys that did this to you. They're going to be booked for assault."

Elliot nodded and turned to the doctor. "Can I go? I have a pregnant fiancée to take home."

Sighing, the doctor nodded. "Yes, but no sleeping. You have a concussion."

Helping Olivia up, Elliot nodded. "Ok, no problem. Forms?"

The doctor passed Elliot the discharge form and once they were signed, they headed home.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter is for Sweet-4-Stabler, for the wonderful reviews each chapter. And for my best distant friend, you know who you are. I hope you enjoy this one, which is the 2****nd**** to be added in at the last minute.**

**Please and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize otherwise Elliot and Olivia would be going at it like bunnies somewhere in each episode.**

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Finding that she couldn't fall back to sleep, Olivia rolled on to her side slowly, hoping not to wake her unborn son and took a quick glance at the time, using the moonlight to see it. It was only 2:24am and she had to go in to school in the morning. Noticing that Elliot was sound asleep, snoring loudly, which is most probably what had woken her up, she slowly sat up and very gently got up off the bed.

She then remembered that he was not supposed to be sleeping due to his concussion. She shook him in a desperate manner. "El! Wake up! Now!"

Startled, Elliot's eyes shot open. "Wha--?"

"You're not supposed to be sleeping, honey," she whispered, softly caressing his cheek.

Sitting up, he cursed softly to himself, "Shit. I'm going to go for a jog to wake me up." He stood up and slipped on some sneakers over his socks and gave her a kiss, rubbing her belly. "I'll be back soon," he whispered and he was gone.

After making a trip to the bathroom, Olivia headed back in to the living room and turned on the television. Once the volume was on low and she'd selected something at least bareable to watch at the early hour, Olivia sat down on the couch and lifted her legs up, resting them to the side of her, as she decided to lounge as she watched a late night TV show. Getting comfortable, Olivia was disturbed by Zachary doing a somersault within her womb and a sudden craving. This time, it was peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.

Exhaling a deep, disgruntled breath, Olivia got up off the couch and headed in to the kitchen. She headed straight for the freezer, Olivia opened the door and sighed in relief when she saw that they still had chocolate ice cream left. She pulled it out and opened it, there was just enough left to satisfy her craving. Next she headed to the top cupboard near the stove and pulled out the jar of peanut butter. Opening the cutlery drawer, Olivia went to grab a butter knife but her hand drifted toward the dessert spoons and she grabbed one. "Yep, that's what we need isn't it, Zac?" she said, letting her hand slide down the mound of her belly, softly, before taking the ice cream and peanut butter in to the living room.

She took a seat on the couch again, ice cream was on what was left of her lap and the jar of peanut butter beside her. Olivia scooped a full dessert spoon of peanut butter and slipped it in to the ice cream before repeating the motion. With that done, Olivia used the spoon to mix both ingredients together before getting a spoonful and trying it.

Enjoying it, she moaned in pleasure. "Mmm, oh God. That's so good. Almost better then sex," she murmured to herself and scooped another spoonful. This was so much better then the chocolate sauce and pickles she'd been so obsessed with for the last two or three days.

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Feeling more awake then he had before he left, Elliot unlocked the apartment door and quietly walked in. Seeing his pregnant fiancée fast asleep on the couch, Elliot smiled and closed the door behind him, locking it again.

Olivia had an empty ice cream carton on her lap, spoon in hand and the half filled jar of peanut butter by her side.

Trying to hold back the threatening laughter, Elliot put the lid back on the peanut butter and placed it on the coffee table. He then rubbed Olivia's belly, smiling when he felt Zachary kick the palm of his hand. "Liv? Baby, wake up," he whispered, caressing her warm cheek.

Olivia's eyes slowly fluttered open, seeing her fiancé standing over her, she smiled. "Hey."

"Hey, beautiful. Come on, time to head back to bed. We have to be up to head down to the school in two and a half hours," he softly told her and helped her up.

He turned off the TV and the light as he guided Olivia back to bed. He just had to make sure he didn't fall asleep again.

Angie would be picking them up at eight to drive them to the school. Elliot would be getting his class work, which he needed to study so he could pass his exams and Angie and Olivia would be going to see the principal, to try sort out this bullying issue, so that Olivia and Zachary would be safe. So she could still get an education while she was pregnant.

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Half an hour before the alarm was supposed to go off, Elliot turned it off and gently extracted himself from Olivia's loose, sleeping grip. He got up off the bed very gently and grabbed some clothes to wear for the day before heading out, closing the door behind him.

Walking through the living room, Elliot yawned loudly. He was so tired. Heading in to the bathroom, he decided a hot shower would wake him up, followed by a cup of hot coffee.

He'd been in the shower for all of five minutes when he heard a noise. Peering around the shower curtain, he saw Olivia entering, heading straight for the toilet.

"Mind if I join in, in a minute?" she asked, using the toilet, unconcerned with Elliot's presence. They were getting married, so what he saw her using the toilet, she just didn't care anymore, especially when he would be there when she gave birth to their son.

With a grin, Elliot nodded. "Sure, baby, I'll just cool it down for you. Just don't flush the toilet."

A couple minutes later, with the water now cool enough and Olivia completely naked, she stepped in to the shower in front of Elliot. His hands flew straight to her belly as he tried to keep his erection down. His fiancée, six months pregnant with their first child, standing naked and wet in front of him, he found her completely sexy. He wanted to make love to her right then and there, but with a concussion, he didn't think it was such a good idea.

Rubbing her stomach, feeling their son kicking and squirming around, Elliot claimed Olivia's lips with his, beginning a hot, toe-curling kiss.

Olivia moaned in to his mouth as she felt his erection hit the underside of her belly.

Pulling back for oxygen, Elliot caressed her cheek and said, "I'd love to make love to you right now but with my concussion, we shouldn't."  
"Okay," Olivia whispered, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Before she could walk away, Elliot wrapped his arms around her waist again, well around as much as he could. Resting his forehead against hers, he kissed her nose. "You didn't let me finish. Just because I can't, does not mean you can't. I know that your hormones are going haywire, beautiful, I know you need a release and I will give it to you."

Blushing, Olivia smiled, "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around Elliot's neck, resting them on his shoulders and gasped when she felt his hand drift south, making sure to graze down her protruding stomach on the way down, and begin to tease her clit.

"Oh God, Elliot," she gasped, throwing her head back as he ran his finger along her slit.

Running his finger along her slit, Elliot let his index finger slip between her folds and instinctively Olivia dropped down on to his finger, making it go deeper.

"Oh fuck," she moaned loudly. "Move your damn finger!"

Chuckling, Elliot started to thrust his finger in and out. "How's that, baby?" he purred in her ear.

Panting, Olivia held on to Elliot tighter, "More! Faster!" she cried out.

As requested, Elliot slid in a second finger and started to thrust in and out faster, causing Olivia to start riding his fingers.

Breathlessly, Olivia kept murmuring, "Oh! Oh! Yes! Yes! As she continued to ride his fingers. She was getting very close quickly.

Elliot could feel her inner walls clamp down on to his fingers, just about pushing them out. "Let go, angel, let go," he murmured.

Tightening her grip on Elliot, Olivia rode out her orgasm, screaming out his name at the top of her lungs, not caring if the neighbours heard her.

Caressing Olivia's cheek with a cocky smile, Elliot asked, "How do you feel now?"

"So good," she panted and took Elliot's hand, placing it on a certain spot on her bump.

Elliot grinned, feeling his active unborn child's movements. "I guess Zachary liked that," he laughed.

"No kidding," Olivia breathed. "Thank you."

With a kiss on her nose, Elliot said, "No problem. Anytime, baby, anytime."

"I'd love to help you with that," she spoke seductive, motioning to his member standing at full attention, "But you're gonna have to use cold water after I get out 'cause if I was to assist you, you'd get me started again and we'll never get out," she told him with a giggle and grabbed the body wash to start washing her body.

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When Angie pulled up at the curb, Olivia and Elliot had only just emerged from the apartment building. Olivia dressed in navy blue sweat pants and a long, baggy gray top, she didn't care what she looked like, she wasn't trying to impress anyone, she just wanted to feel as comfortable as possible; And Elliot was dressed in blue jeans and a white polo top.

Elliot opened the front passenger door for Olivia and let her get in before shutting the door behind her and getting in to the back seat.

"Morning you two," Angie greeted them, pulling away from the curb.

They both greeted Angie back and went quiet.

After driving for five minutes in silence, Angie asked, "Okay, what's going on?"

"Nothing, mom, we're just both tired. Olivia woke at about 2:30 this morning and couldn't sleep, so she had a snack and ended up falling asleep on the couch," Elliot explained.

"I hope you helped her back to bed," Angie said, turning on to another street.

Rubbing her belly, Olivia spoke through a yawn, "He did, Angie. He takes very good care of me."

"That's good," Angie replied with a nod. "A couch isn't comfortable to sleep on while pregnant."

Olivia yawned again. "No, it's not."

"Now, Liv, I don't know how much I'm going to be able to do... Did El tell you what I'm going to be doing?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah and I'm very thankful. I wouldn't be able to handle it for another two months."

"Well, I don't know how much I'm going to be able to do but I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

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Sitting in the principal's office, Olivia could feel Principal Martin's eyes boring holes in to her. His eyes continuously on her belly.

"...And what would you like me to do about it, Mrs. Stabler?" he asked, rudely. "It's her own fault."

Angie could not believe this man's attitude. How did he make it to principal? Why did he even pick this professional when it was obviously he didn't like teenagers?

"Well, Olivia has as much right as everyone else to come here and learn safely."

"Well I can't do anything about it. She needs to learn to take care of herself."

Angie gave Olivia's thigh a gentle squeeze, silently telling her to get up as she did. "No, it's just that you won't do anything. I'm going to be home schooling her and my son will just be finishing his exams...And my daughter, Emily, will not be starting here next year, so you can take her off the enrollment list. Then you can shove..." she started but stopped herself. "Come on, Liv. Let's find El."

With a nod, Olivia followed Angie out.

"How did it go?" Elliot asked, standing up as he saw them approach.

With a sigh, Olivia shook her head. "Terribly," she whispered.

Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia and kissed the crown of her head before looking up at his mom. "What did he say, mom?"

Guiding, Elliot and Olivia out, Angie didn't want to go in to detail, so she just said, "Let's just say he's not inclined to help. We'll talk about this more later. Let's go baby shopping, you need to start buying stuff."

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While Elliot looked at cribs, strollers and change tables, items he would be putting together; Olivia and Angie were looking at baby clothes and other necessary items.

They had already thrown in diapers, bum wipes, powder and diaper rush cream in the cart, deciding to get most of it now, while they were there, so now they were going through the racks of clothing.

"Wow, this is so cute," Olivia said, picking up a tiny pair of denim blue overalls.

"Well put it in, honey," Angie said, pointing to the cart.

With a smile, Olivia put it in to the shopping cart and turned just in time to see Elliot emerge with a cart filled with four big boxes.

Pulling it to a stop next to the other cart, Elliot gave Olivia a hug and pecked her on the lips. "Hey," he greeted her and rubbed her belly. "Sleeping?"

"Must be, he's been quiet for the last ten minutes."

Looking up, Elliot said, "Hey mom."

With a smile, Angie replied, "Hey, son, what you got there?"

Pulling a box out at a time, Elliot showed the pictures on the front of the boxes. He'd picked out one of each; a crib, change table and a stroller but there was also a special something for Olivia. A polished chestnut rocking chair. "We'll be paying all this off for a while, but it will all be worth it."

"We'll be paying for half, El."

Shocked, Elliot asked, "You are?"

"Yeah, son. Our present for the baby."

Happy, Elliot gave his mom a big hug. "Thank you so much," he said, gently pulling away.

"Yeah, thank you, Angie," Olivia said with a smile of her own.

"You're welcome. Now let's go pay, huh? Before Olivia falls asleep on her feet."

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Angie was right about how tired Olivia was because she fell asleep in the car on the way home. So Elliot had to wake her and help her up in to the apartment, having a hard time keeping her awake in the elevator. Once they finally made it in to the apartment, he helped her in to bed, where she fell asleep instantly, leaving Elliot and Angie to bring up all the baby items that they had bought.

The walls in the nursery were already painted blue, so they just had to set it all up and arrange it.

"How about we set it up while Olivia naps and surprise her?" Elliot suggested.

With a nod in agreement, Angie said, "Sure. Let's get to work, huh?"

Angie started pasting an absolutely adorable sailboat border around the very top of the wall and at the very bottom. Elliot was busy setting up the chestnut changing table and crib that his mom had picked out and bought for them as a going away present. Angie put up the yellow and blue curtains after doing the walls. The curtains looked as though they could match the borders on the wall. She had Elliot to hammer a few nail and randomly selected areas in the room so she could hang picture frames. The first frame she hung up was a little lullaby. The other pictures were of baby angels and scripture passages. By the time Angie was finish decorating the room, Elliot was just finishing the crib. After a few rearrangements they had to admit, that even with the limited resources they had to work with they still did a hell of a job. Angie looked around the room and whispered, "She is going to love it."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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The night before the wedding, Olivia found herself on the couch, going over a list of needed last minute items. She could not believe that at the age of seventeen, she, Olivia Quinn Benson, was seven months pregnant with her first child and getting married the next day. This was her last night as Miss Olivia Benson. This time tomorrow night she would be Mrs. Olivia Stabler, wife of Elliot Stabler.

The last eight months had been a rollercoaster and it was no where near done yet, especially with marriage and motherhood right away from the corner.

"Olivia!" her fiancé's voice brought her out of her thoughts as he squatted down in front of her, putting his hand on her big baby bump.

Clearing her throat, she smiled at Elliot. "Hey. You going now?"

"Well, I was, baby, but I won't if something is wrong with you and Zac."

Cupping his cheek in her hand, Olivia caressed his cheekbone with the pad of her thumb. "No, we're fine, honey. Can't you feel him? He started to kick when he heard your voice," she spoke just above a whisper.

After giving her a kiss, Elliot asked, "Are you sure?"

Olivia nodded and rested her forehead against his. "Yeah, Zachary and I will be fine. Casey and Alex are staying with me and Em and your mom will be here in the morning."

Elliot nuzzled noses with her and then gave her another kiss. "Okay, beautiful, but if you need me, you call me straight away and I'll be back in a flash. Only five blocks away with my parents, okay?" he told her, rubbing her belly.

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too..." he said and lifted up Olivia's t-shirt before kissing the bare, warm mound, "...And you too, Zac. Be good for mommy and let her sleep tonight," he told his unborn son before putting Olivia's tee back.

Olivia laughed. "He won't. He loves to kick the crap out of me while I try to sleep. Bye, honey."

"The girls are here," he told her as he stood up. "See you tomorrow. I'll be meeting you at the end of the aisle."

Olivia nodded and reluctantly let him go. "Hi, girls. How was school today?"

Casey shrugged. "Boring."

"It was okay. Still can't believe that Elliot's mom is home schooling you."

With her hand on her protruding stomach, Olivia sighed. "Didn't have much of a choice, I'm sorry, girls. Principal Martin didn't seem to inclined to help me. Has a thing against pregnant teens."

"Yeah, he's a..."

"Don't say it, Al. No swearing. I'm seven months, so Zac might hear you," Olivia softly scolded her friend. .

"Sorry," she replied as she and Casey sat on either side of Olivia.

"A good move is about to start, Liv. A scary one, you like scary ones," said Casey.

Shaking her head, Olivia rubbed her belly. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Well, that sucks," Casey said somewhat harshly, not realizing that it would upset her heavily pregnant, hormonal friend.

Choking back a sob, Olivia shook her head and got up. "Sorry, I'm such crappy company. I'm just wasting your time. You may as well go to whatever party you had planned to go to," she snapped and went in to the hallway, straight in to the master bedroom, locking the door behind her.

"Shit," Casey muttered, shaking her head, "I didn't mean to upset her."

Exhaling a deep breath, Alex adjusted her glasses and stood up. "Come on, we better go in there."

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Sitting on the bed with her back to the headboard, Olivia staring at the opposite wall, as she rubbed her bump. Baby Zachary was very active tonight.

"Woah! Settle down in there, kiddo. Mommy's sorry that she got worked up," she whispered.

A knock at the door caught Olivia's attention and she looked up without a word.

"Liv, can you come out?" Alex asked, gently and unsure.

Sighing, Olivia called back. "No! I'm going to sleep. Go away!"

Deciding to try a different tactic, Alex tried again. "Liv, do you want us to call Elliot to come home?"

Wiping away her silent tears, Olivia gently pushed her pregnant frame up off the bed. "No. Don't call him. I'm okay."

She unlocked the door and opened it, coming face to face with her two best friends.

The two best friends, who had lied to their parents, so they could see Olivia, saying that they were at a party. Their parents had called Olivia a bad influence upon finding out that she was pregnant.

"Please don't call him, I don't want him to think that I can't last one night without him. He'll think I'm pathetic."

The girls both shook their heads in an instant, in disagreement.

"No, he won't, Liv. It'll probably be an ego stroke knowing that you love him so much that you can't live without him," Casey tried to assure her. Trying to make good from the earlier comment, which had upset her.

Yawning, Olivia nodded. She seemed satisified with that answer.

Leading Olivia back in to the bedroom, Alex said, "Lay down and we'll talk to Zac."

"Hang on, guys. I got to pee," she said and rushed in to the bathroom.

The apartment phone ringing caught their attention and Olivia called out to them. "Could one of you answer it please?"

"Sure, Liv," Casey called back and answered it, seeing as Alex wouldn't. "Hello?"

"_Casey? What the hell?! Why are you answering the phone? Where's Liv?"_ Elliot asked, freaking out.

"Calm the hell down, Elliot. Olivia's fine, she's just in the bathroom... Here, she comes," she said and passed the reciever to Olivia. "Your other half is freaking out. You needa calm him down."

Shaking her head, Olivia took it. "Babe, I'm fine. Your son just likes to use my bladder as a football," she joked.

Hearing his fiancée's voice on the phone, Elliot sighed in relief. "Sorry, beautiful. I just freaked out hearing Casey's voice on the phone and not your's."

"It's okay, El. What's wrong?"

"Noting's wrong, Liv. I just had to check on you."

"Zac and I are fine, honey. He was very active before, quiet now though.. You can stop freaking out now, okay?"

Elliot laughed lightly. "Trust me, Livia. From now on, I'll be freaking out whenever I'm not with you and Zac."

Olivia smiled. "We love you and we'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"I love you both too. Goodnight, baby," he said and waited for Olivia to hang up.

Putting down the receiver, Olivia yawned again and rubbed her lower back. "I'm so tired. Sorry, girls."

"Carrying around that heavy basketball in front, we don't blame you, Liv. We would be too," Alex sympathized.

As soon as Olivia laid down with a pillow under her right butt cheek to tilt her body to the left, getting as comfortable as she possibly could this far along; Alex and Casey sat down on the bed beside her and placed their excited hands on Olivia's belly, hoping to feel Zachary move around within.

Just as Olivia closed her eyes and started to let sleep take over, Casey used two fingers to gently push in to Olivia's abdomen. It worked. Zachary started to squirm around and kick again, causing Olivia to groan.

"Did you really have to do that?" she grumbled, sleepily.

Alex and Casey laughed. "Yep," They replied in near unison and continued to rub her belly.

Being exhausted as she was, Olivia fell asleep anyway being used to her unborn son's movements as she slept, she barely noticed anymore.

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Elliot sat out on the back porch with his older brother, James, who had just come back from Chicago with his wife, Sandra, and two year old daughter, Maya, for the wedding.

"...So, do you really love her, El? After all, she is carrying your son."

Nodding, without hesitation, Elliot said, "Yes, James, I really love her. Olivia is the one for me. I can't live without her. It was love at first sight, man, I'm telling you."

James had never seen his younger brother so in love, so love struck and he was happy for him.

He nodded and patted Elliot's back. "Well, I wish you luck in everything you and Olivia do then. And I'm honored to be your best man tomorrow... Maya is so excited to be flower girl, she was yapping about it all the way here."

Elliot laughed. "You should've heard Olivia's friends, Alexandra and Casey, yapping about being Olivia's brides maids. They're lying about their whereabouts to their parents, so they can be with Liv tonight and there for the wedding."

"For real?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. Their parents see Liv as a bad influence just cause she's pregnant at seventeen."

Shaking his head, James said, "It doesn't make her bad. Plus with the way her mother treated her, she just wants to be loved and you're providing that, man."

"She's finaly starting to smile and laugh freely now, it's great to see her so happy... And to know that I had something to do with it, makes it so much better."

"James!" a woman's voice called from inside the house.

He turned back to the opened back door and called back to his wife. "Yes, Sandra?"

"Maya wants her bedtime story from her daddy," she told him, approaching the door.

James stood as Elliot did. "You'll be doing this soon, El," he said and headed in.

Elliot smiled and imagined what Zachary was going to look like. A little boy with Olivia's mocha brown eyes, hair and nose and maybe his ears and mouth.

He couldn't wait to meet his son in about ten weeks.

Walking inside the house, he decided to sneak upstairs, in to his parents' bedroom to call Olivia and see how she was.

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7:30 came quickly the next morning and the alarm blared loudly.

Groaning, Olivia rolled on to her side. "El, turn it off," she mumbled, half asleep, forgetting what day it was at first but upon opening her eyes, she remembered what it was and turned it off before getting up and heading for the bathroom.

Washing herself in the shower, Olivia felt Zachary move around for the first time for the day.

Rinsing the soap off her body, she rubbed her belly. "Oh, good morning, kiddo. Mommy is marrying daddy today," she spoke softly before being startled by a knocking at the bathroom door. "Yes?" she called out to see who was there.

"Liv, Emily and Angie are here."

"Okay, I'll be out in a couple minutes," she replied and tilted her head back under the stream of warm water to rinse the conditioner out of her hair.

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Sitting in front of the mirror in the bride's room as Angie put the finishing touches on her hair, Olivia found herself starting to panic.

Her naturally tanned skin went pale and her hand flew to her mouth. "I"m going to be sick," she said, standing up.

"Come on, honey," Angie spoke softly as she quickly guided Olivia in to the bathroom.

Kneeling in front of the toilet, Olivia had an unscheduled viewing of her breakfast. The whole time, the baby kicked and squirmed, unhappy with the tension flowing through his mother's body and sudden, quick movements.

Angie rubbed Olivia's back and waited for the nausea to subside before asking, "Are you okay, honey?"

Shaking her head, Olivia leaned back and sat with her back against the wall. "I need to talk to Elliot," she whispered, fixing her wedding dress.

"You can't, honey," Angie gently told her, caressing her cheek.

"Please," Olivia begged.

With a sigh, Angie continued to caress Olivia's cheek and nodded. "Okay, Olivia, okay," she said and turned to see Casey standing in the doorway. "Can you please get Elliot, Casey?"

Casey nodded and rushed off in an instant.

Turning back to Olivia, Angie asked, "Safe to get up yet?"

Olivia exhaled a deep breath and shook her head. "Not yet."

Angie put her hand on Olivia's belly, hoping to feel her grandson move but felt nothing. "Zachary?"

"He's okay. He was moving just a minute ago."

"Liv!"

Looking up, Olivia saw her very soon to be husband rush in. "El!"

Angie stood up. "I'll just be outside," she said and shut the door behind her to give the couple privacy.

Elliot sat down in front of Olivia before he cupped her cheek with one hand and rested his other hand on her swollen abdomen. "What's going on here, baby? What's wrong? You got coldfeet?"

Sighing contently and leaning in to Elliot's touch, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, a little, I'm sorry," she confessed.

Caressing her cheekbone with his thumb, Elliot rested his forehead against Olivia's. "That's okay, beautiful."

"It's just everything is moving so fast. This time last year, I was living with my mom and cleaning up after her. Now I'm seven months pregnant and about to get married."

"Yeah, I know, Liv. It's pretty scary but together, we can do this. As a team. You, me and baby Zachary," he said, rubbing her belly.

Olivia nodded with a smile. It was just what she needed to hear. "Yeah, we can do this."

Elliot got up and delicately helped Olivia up. "You okay now?"

Olivia flushed the toilet and went to the sink, to rinse out her mouth. "Yeah. Meet you down the aisle."

Elliot kissed her on the lips and then two of his fingers, pressing them to her stomach. "Meet you two down the aisle," he said and walked out, telling his mom that Olivia was coming out.

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Standing nervously at the end of the aisle, Elliot adjusted the cuffs of his tux coat, waiting for the bridal march to play.

As soon as the doors opened, Elliot looked up, waiting for Olivia to appear.

Out walked Maya throwing flowers, holding her mommy's hand. Both dressed in spaghetti strapped satin deep purple dresses and white shoes. Sandra in high heels and Maya in flats. Next Alex and Casey emerged wearing the same as Sandra and Maya, except in a pale purple.

When the bridal march began and Olivia finally emerged, Elliot smiled. She was so beautiful and she was absolutely glowing.

She finally reached the end and Olivia couldn't help but grin, especially as Zachary constantly shifted and squirmed within her womb. Wanting to hold both of Elliot's hands through it, Olivia handed her flowers to Alex before turning back to Elliot and taking both his hands in hers. "I love you. Let's get married," she whispered.

Nodding in agreement, Elliot kissed her tenderly. "I love you too. Let's make you my wife."

They turned to the priest and he began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today..."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. This chapter is Benson-Baby. For the next please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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**July 23****rd**** 1984**

**Stabler Residence**

Two days past her due date, Olivia was getting very anxious to meet baby Zachary and more then ready for the back pain to end.

Sitting on the balcony rocking seat with Elliot, Olivia was as comfortable as she could possibly get. Elliot had an arm wrapped around her, his hand resting on her shoulder and the other hand was resting on her belly as they rocked back and forth enjoying the peace and quiet.

"He must be pretty comf--" Elliot started by stopped seeing his wife's face contort in pain before letting out deep puffs of air. "Baby? Are you okay?" His voice and eyes conveying concern.

Shaking her head, Olivia kept taking deep breaths. "Either the baby has found muscles he didn't know he had or it's a contraction," she replied, rubbing the bottom of her bump.

"Okay, Livia, okay. Is it gone?"

Olivia nodded as the pain faded and Elliot stood up.

"Come on, gorgeous," he said softly, helping her up. "Mom would be at work now, so we're going to have to read the baby book and call Dr. Calibee."

Elliot helped Olivia sit down on the couch before rushing in to kitchen to retrieve the baby book from the kitchen counter and heading back to his wife, who was still seated on the couch, breathing a little slower then before and rubbing her belly, with her eyes closed.

"Did you have another pain already, Olivia?" Elliot asked in panic as he looked through the book for the labor section.

Opening her eyes, Olivia shook her head, looking up at her husband. "No, just trying to prepare myself for the next one."

With a nod, Elliot sat down on the couch beside Olivia with the book. He grabbed the spare pillow and laid it down next to Olivia. "Lay down, Liv."

Laying down on her left side, Olivia got the pillow under her belly as she laid with her head on Elliot's lap, getting as comfortable as possible.

"Trying sleeping, baby," he suggested, gently massaging her scalp with one hand, as he read.

"It's only ten in the morning, El. We only got up two hours ago."

"Right. Sorry," he said and continued to read the labor section. "It says here that it can take hours or even days for a first time mom."

Olivia groaned at the thought but let Elliot continue.

"But we can stay home until your water breaks or your contractions start coming five minutes apart."

"Okay," Olivia whispered, massaging her stomach.

"Says to stay calm and there's a range of things I can do to help you, babe?"

"Can you stop the pain?" she asked with a playful smirk.

"Well no, but..."

"El, calm down, I was joking. Kinda. I want to try this without drugs. I don't want anything that can affect Zachary."

Elliot nodded. "Okay, Liv, but if it gets too much you tell me and we'll go straight to the hosptial."

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Nine hours of contractions is what Olivia had to endure before her water broke, which surprised Elliot, that she had lasted so long despite the pain she was in, which was easy to see.

She'd been waddling around the apartment when it happened and it had been while Elliot took a quick trip to the bathroom.

"El!" she cried out in shock.

Running out of the bathroom, Elliot almost tripped over, seeing the puddle of water at his wife's feet in the kitchen. "Time to go, baby?"

Olivia nodded, taking slow, deep breaths as she rubbed her protruding stomch. "My water... broke."

"Come on then, Liv."

"Can I quickly change my pants?! I'm fucking wet here."

"S-sure," Elliot stuttered and helped her to the couch. "Be right back," he assured her and ran toward the hallway, in to their bedroom.

Two minutes later, Elliot rushed in to the living room with a clean pair of panties and pants for Olivia.

"Here, baby," he cooed and helped her to quickly change.

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Driving to the hospital, the roads were wet and slippery from the heavy falling rain.

"We'll be there soon, beautiful," he tried to reassure his wife after she screamed with the pain of another contraction, coursing through her already tired, sore body.

"We need fucking warp drive here! And I need some fucking drugs!" she snapped. She couldn't take the pain anymore, it was just getting unbareable.

"I'm going as quickly as I can, angel," he said, softly and reached over to rub her belly.

Shaking her head, Olivia moaned in discomfort, rubbing her stomach. "Drugs. I need drugs," she whimpered.

"I know, Liv, I know. You can get some soon."

"El, stop before you crash!" she said, seeing a car slowing to a stop in front of them.

The driver behind them obviously hadn't been watching and smashed in to the rear of their car.

Elliot quickly turned to Olivia. "You okay?"

"Yeah, besides the fact that I'm in freakin' labor here," she groaned as yet another contraction came. Olivia shifted a little in an attempt to try comfortable but it just was not working. She moaned, taking deep breaths.

"Sir! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" the man that had hit them said as he reached the half open car window.

"My wife's in labor, we're trying to get to the hospital."

"I have a car phone, sir. I'll call for an ambulance and give you my insurance information," the nameless man said and rushed back to his car.

Rubbing her belly still, letting out a deep breath, Olivia cried out. "El!"

Elliot took a hold of one of her hands and kissed the back of it. "We'll be there soon, Liv, real soon. The guy is calling for an ambulance."

"They're...They're g-getting stronger and coming quicker," Olivia panted, clutching Elliot's hand, turning it blue as the bones cracked.

Brushing some hair back behind Olivia's ear, Elliot planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You're doing so well, baby, so well. We'll be at the hospital soon."

"Sir! The ambulance will be here any minute. One is about five blocks away," the man said and passed Elliot his insurance information.

Nodding, Elliot caressed the back of Olivia's hand. "Thanks... They'll be here in a minute, baby. Just hang on," he assured her, hearing the sirens get closer.

Knowing they would be there any minute, Elliot tried to keep Olivia as calm as possible as she continued to beg for something to ease the pain. He rubbed her bump and whispered soothing words until she had enough and told him to shut up.

The ambulance pulled up and rushed over to the passenger side as Elliot got out and rushed around.

"Your wife's in labor, sir?"

Opening the car door, Elliot nodded. "Yes, her water has broken and her contractions are three minutes apart," he informed the EMT. "Can you undo your belt, Liv?"

Olivia undone the belt and let Elliot help her out the car without a word as she tried to control her breathing.

"Come on, angel, lean in to me," Elliot whispered as he guided her to the ambulance, ignoring the evil stares from the EMTs just because Olivia was a teenager.

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**23rd/ 24th July 1984**

**Hospital**

**Queens, New York**

Pushing for close to two hours, Olivia was beyond exhausted and sweaty.

"Push again, Liv," Dr. Calibee coached her young patient, rubbing her outer thigh.

"I can't," Olivia panted. "You fucking do it for me! You do it," she cried and screamed as the contraction reached it's peak.

"Marlene, put a oxygen mask on her please. I don't think the Demerol is working effectively," she told the nurse.

As the mask was placed on her face, Olivia inhaled the precious oxygen. "I can't do this. Can you do it for me, El?" she panted, through the mask, so it sounded muffed but Elliot understood.

"I would if I could, baby," Elliot soothed from behind her, wiping her forehead with a damp cloth.

"There's another one coming," Grace said, looking at the monitor.

Olivia groaned as she felt the pain rising. "No kidding!"

"Push against Elliot. Now push!"

"I can't! Push him back in! What the hell was I thinking?" Olivia panted, wincing in pain, "I'm too young! Please push him back in! I can't do this!"

"It's too late, honey. He'll be here shortly and you're gonna be a mommy."

Seeing that she had no choice, Olivia pushed as hard as she could but screamed. "I can't! It's too hard!"

"Low groans! You're tensing more," Grace gently scolded her.

"Can't I get a... a c-section?! Cut him outta me! Ahh!"

"Too late for that, honey. You can do it. Next push, he should be crowning."

Pushing back Olivia's sweaty hair, which had stuck to her clammy face, Elliot rubbed the side of her belly with his free hand. "You're strong, sweetie. You can do this, you can do anything. Zachary will be here very soon."

Sobbing softly, Olivia shook her head. "I can't. I'm not ready for motherhood, I'm too young. This is too hard, El. Can't you do it for me?"

"I can't, beautiful, I'm sorry. I would if I could."

"Here we go again," Dr. Calibee interrupted. "Push!"

Pushing again, Olivia screamed, almost deafening everyone in the delivery room. "What the hell?!"

"It's okay, Liv. He's crowning. Push through the burning."

"No! No, it burns!" she cried, thrashing her head back and forth.

"Keep pushing, honey. Otherwise his head could slip back in!"

Olivia kept pushing as instructed until the pain faded.

"Good job, honey. His head is out. Want to feel it?"

Olivia nodded. "Please."

"Give me your hand," Grace said and guided it.

"Wow!" Olivia smiled, tiredly, feeling her son's head for the first time.

"Head full of dark brown hair."

Olivia pulled her hand away as another pain started to hit.

"Come on, sweetheart. Just his shoulders now."

"Ahh!"

"Good, Liv, good."

A baby's unhappy screech filled the room, a moment later.

"Welcome to the world, Zachary. Time of birth, 12:01am," Dr. Calibee announced and placed the newborn on Olivia's chest as a nurse wiped Zachary down.

Counting his fingers and toes, Olivia sighed in relief. Ten of each. "Hi, Zac. So happy to meet you, kiddo. He's so precious, El. I can't believe he's ours..."

"Yes, he is, Liv. He's perfect. Is it alright if I go tell my parents?"

Olivia nodded and slowly leaned up to let Elliot up.

Getitng up, Elliot said, "I'll be right back."

"If you wait a few minutes, you can take Zachary with you but just for a minute to show them."

Elliot nodded and smiled. "Great."

Once the cord was cut, Olivia passed a bundled up Zachary to Elliot. "Tell 'em I say hi," she whispered, exhausted.

Nodding, Elliot gave her a kiss. "Sure, baby. Be right back."

"Only for a minute, Elliot," Dr. Calibee reminded him.

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Walking out to the family waiting room proudly, Elliot found his parents and Emily waiting impatiently.

"Mom, dad, Em," he alerted them of his presence.

All three stood up and Elliot approached them with his newborn son, bundled up in a blue receiving blanket.

"Oh my goodness, he's so cute and chubby," Angie admired her grandson for the first time. "C-can I hold him, El?"

"Sure, but I have to take him back in a minute," he said and delicately passed Zachary to his grandmother.

In Angie's arms, Zachary opened his eyes with a yawn and reached up with a tiny closed fist. "Aww, he's got his mommy's mocha brown eyes... Hi handsome, I'm your grandma but you can me 'grammy', just like your cousin Maya does. Go see grandpa," she whispered and passed him along to Mike.

"Hi, little man. I'm grandpa, nice to finally meet you... Say hi to Aunt Emily," he said and passed the sleepy newborn to his aunt.

"Hi Zac, I'm your Aunt Emily. I'll be teaching you how to get in to naughty things," she joked.

Taking his son back, Elliot shook his head. "Don't even think about it."

"Aww, El, I was only joking," Emily defended herself.

"I got to take Zac back. You guys can head home and get some sleep. Thanks for coming... Oh, Liv says hi."

After hugs, kisses and back pats were exchanged, Elliot headed back to the room. He saw Grace still working on Olivia and a nurse massaging her uterus.

"What's wrong? I thought you would be finished by now."

Taking off her gloves, Grace said, "It's okay, Elliot, Liv's okay. Just a little problem with bleeding, but we've stopped it. Olivia, honey, say bye to Zac. He's going to be bathed, weighed and checked out, while you have a nap."

"I'm breast feeding him though."

"He'll be taken back to your room when he's been cleared, okay, honey?"

Olivia nodded, taking her son. "Be a good boy, kiddo. Mommy will see you soon," she whispered and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

The nurse took Zachary and Olivia was wheeled in to a room, which she had to share with two other women. Older women, who had just had their second or third child, and chose to ignore Olivia because of her age.

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Burping Zachary after a feed, at about ten in the morning, Olivia looked up to see the hospital room door open. She thought it was Elliot returning from going home to have a shower, but in walked her two best friends, Casey Novak and Alexandra Cabot.

"Oh joy! Two more teens enter the room," one of the women spoke sarcastically from her bed, craddling her child.

"Oh shut up," Olivia muttered before turning back to her friends. "Hey girls."

Sitting on each side of the new young mother, they greeted her and gently rubbed Zac's back.

After he released a baby belch, Olivia craddled him in her arms, so they could see his face.

"Aww, he's so chubby," Casey whispered, caressing his chubby cheek with her fingertip.

"Gosh, how big is he?" asked Alex.

"Zachary Isaiah Stabler here weighs in at eight pounds, one and a half ounces and is twenty-five inches long... Did Elliot call you?"

The girls nodded, still admiring the newborn, who they had felt kicking in his mommy's belly up until two nights ago, about fourteen hours before Olivia had gone in to labor.

"Yeah, he said this little guy entered the world at 12:01 this morning or last night, which ever way you want to look at it," whispered Casey, still mesmerized by the baby.

"Your parents still hate me?"

"Oooh yeah," Casey replied.

"Yep," Alex answered.

Sighing, Olivia nodded. "Fair enough."

Suddenly, Zachary decided to really test out his lungs and started to screech so loud.

Trying to calm him down, Olivia tried rocking him. "Hey, hey, kiddo, it's okay, mommy's got you."

Not having much luck, Olivia started to cry but then thought to check his diaper, ignoring the snide comments from the two older women about how she shouldn't be a mother just because she was only a teenager.

Sniffling, Olivia laid him down and checked. "Oh yeah, you stinky, kiddo. Casey, could you please go over there and grab one of those diapers, the thing of wipes and the baby powder?" she asked, pointing to a chair, where a nurse had left the items for her, so she could get practice changing him before going home.

"Sure, Liv," Casey replied and grabbed them before passing them toher.

"Thanks," she said and got Casey to put them down on the bed as she undressed Zac.

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Returning, Elliot stopped at the window and watched his wife change their son for the first time, trying to work it all out on her own, as she talked to Casey and Alex.

Seeing her clean their son's bottom and put powder on him before putting a fresh, clean, dry diaper on him and getting his onesie back on and buttoned, Elliot smiled.

"Yeah, she's got the mom thing down. She's a natural," Elliot whisepred to himself.

"Wait till you guys get Zachary home, El," Angie said, walking up between him, holding Mike's hand with Emily close behind them. "She'll probably a nervous wreck. I know I was and I was twenty-one the first time. Olivia's even younger."

Elliot nodded, watching Olivia through the window, he didn't know how right his mom was going to be.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Five days after bringing Zachary home from the hospital, Olivia had barely had any sleep and was exhausted, while Elliot had to work to bring more money in for the baby. He also remembered that he had signed up for the marines before they had discovered that Olivia was pregnant with Zachary, so now he was hoping that they wouldn't be needing him any time soon.

Tip-toeing in to the apartment at six in the evening, Elliot found it eerily quiet. "Liv," he whispered, heading in to the living room, turning on the light.

Reaching the couch, Elliot smiled. His wife was sound asleep with their son sleeping on her abdomen, his head on her breasts, sucking on his pale blue and white pacifier. His mother's heartbeat had finally quietened him down after four hours of screaming.

Elliot went to pick Zachary up to give him a cuddle and put him in his crib but Olivia's motherly instincts kicked in. She tightened her grip on Zachary and her eyes snapped open.

"Baby, it's just me. I was going to put Zac to bed."

Olivia shook her head and reached up to caress her husband's cheek. "No, leave him. I finally got him to sleep after four hours of being unsettled."

Nodding, Elliot leaned down and kissed on her the lips. "Did you call my mom for help?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, I have to learn how to look after my own son, El... How was your day?"

"It was okay. Can't complain. How was yours except for the four hours of crankiness."

Yawning, Olivia rubbed Zachary's back. "Busy. Zac decided that the day was going to officially begin at 7:44, just after you left. I've done some washing and cleaning. Zac likes being in the pouch on my chest while I clean the apartment but he got cranky when I went to put him down and that's when he was cranky for four hours," she explained.

"Have you eaten?"

Shaking her head, Olivia said, "Not since lunch time, but it wasn't much."

"Go put Zac down and we'll make dinner together," he suggested.

"His next feeding will be soon, El," she said, slowly sitting up, keeping Zac in place as not to wake him.

"Well I'll cook. Take him in to the nursery, so you can feed him," he said and kissed her on the lips, tenderly.

Giving him her hand, Elliot helped her up. "Thanks. Come on, kiddo," she whispered, heading toward the bedrooms.

Watching his wife with their newborn son, Elliot was thinking that what his mom said at the hospital a week ago was wrong. Olivia was a natural at motherhood.

Not realizing what he would be witnessing later that night.

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Waking up to Zachary's crying for the third time that night, twenty minutes after the last time she'd put him down again, Olivia groaned, sitting up.

"I'll get him, baby," Elliot mumbled half asleep, but make no attempt to move.

"Don't worry, El," you have to be up in four hours. Go back to sleep," she said and reluctantly got up.

Walking in to the nursery, Olivia used the night light to guide her to the crib.

Reaching in, Olivia gently picked up her screaming son. "It's okay, baby. Mommy's got you now," she whispered and carried him over to the padded rocking chair.

She sat down and started to rock Zac. "You can't be hungry, kiddo. You just ate about half an hour ago. Are you wet?"

She checked and shook her head. "Nope, your bum's clean and dry, kiddo." Continuing to rock him, she started to hum.

When that didn't work, she tried to sing softly to him, but that didn't work either and Olivia was starting to get frustrated because she was already exhausted.

Standing up, Olivia started to bounce him up and down a little with his head on her shoulder. "It's okay, kiddo, but you have to tell mommy what is wrong."

When that didn't work either, Olivia laid him in her arms again, making sure he was close enough to hear her heart beating. It had worked last time, so she hoped it would work again but at the failed attempt, Olivia started to cry. "Oh, come on, Zachary, please baby, tell mommy what's wrong," she pleaded with the newborn.

Elliot must've be woken by the louder screams because he came rushing in. "Baby, what's going on?"

"T-take him please," she begged her husband, passing him their son.

Elliot took him and caressed his wife's cheek. "Livia, what's going on? If you calmed down, he would've too."

A sob escaped as Olivia shook her head. "I c-can't do this. I'm not m-mother m-material... I have no idea what I am doing. I never had a good role model to begin with," she whispered as their son started to settle in his father's arms.

She rushed out of the nursery and toward the living room. She even thought about running out of the apartment but she was too exhausted, so she wasn't about to do that. Instead she laid down on the couch and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the spare pillow, which was still sitting on there from when she was pregnant and had placed it under her belly for minimal comfort.

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Rocking and bouncing his son to sleep, Elliot waited for the dreaded sound of the front door opening and closing to indicate his wife's departure, but it never came. He sighed in relief, it meant that Olivia hadn't left, she was still in the apartment.

Looking down at Zachary, Elliot noted that he had finally drifted off.

"Night, buddy," he whispered and put Zachary down in his crib, tucking him in, before taking the baby monitor and heading in to the living room.

"Liv?" Elliot called out softly, tip-toeing to the couch.

Getting no reply, he decided to turn on the light and sighed in relief when he found her on the couch fast asleep.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, causing her to stir. She turned over and drifted back off to sleep.

Walking in to the kitchen, Elliot decided to make Olivia something to eat since she didn't get to eat much of her dinner. Zac had decided that he didn't want to sleep after eating, he decided being cranky for his parents was so much better.

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Waking to the smell of pancakes, Olivia smiled, seeing her husband walking over to her with a tray. On it were some pancakes and a glass of orange juice.

"Thought you would be hungry, baby," he whispered and placed the tray on her lap, once she sat up. "Enjoy. Strawberry jelly on them since you said you don't want syrup while breast feeding."

Taking the tray, Olivia smile thankfully, as her belly grumbled. "Thanks, honey. I'm so hungry."

About to sit down, Elliot stopped by fussing coming through the baby monitor. "I'll bring him in here, huh?"

Olivia smiled through the mouth full of pancake. A fake smile but Elliot didn't catch the fakeness.

Heading back in to the nursery to get their son, Elliot didn't realize just how depressed his young wife really was.

Returning with their son, he found his wife crying and the tray with a half eaten pancake and a near full glass of orange juice sat on the coffee table. Elliot placed Zachary on the couch beside Olivia, using the pillow as a guard.

"Olivia... Baby, I was only gone for a minute. What happened? What's wrong?"

"This... This mother thing... Is t-too hard, El. I... I c-can't do it," she cried.

"Liv, you can do it, beautiful. Zac is only a week old, you're still getting used to him and this whole new lack of routine. I'm sure Zac will settle down soon and get in to some kinda easier routine, okay? So try to settle down and have a cuddle with him," he said softly, caressing her arm.

Sniffling, Olivia shook her head. "I c-can't."

Wrapping his arm around her, Elliot rubbed her back until she calmed down and he pulled back.

Picking Zachary up, he delicately passed him to Olivia. "Here, gorgeous, have a cuddle."

Sniffling, Olivia took her newborn son. Seeing his yawn and reach up to her, she smiled and give him her index finger, which he closed his tiny hand around. "Hi, kiddo. I'm really trying here," she whispered to him.

"And you're doing a good job, Livia," Elliot assured her, caressing her cheek. "I'm going to go get ready for work, angel. Zac will probably want some breakfast," he said and kissed her on the lips.

"Okay, honey. I... I think I'll be okay," she whispered and leaned down to kiss Zac's head. I'm going to feed him and then give him a bath."

"You don't have to clarify what you're doing, baby. He's our son. You're his mother, okay? You do what you think is best."

Olivia nodded and as Zachary started to squirm and cry, she moved her pajama top.

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Heading in to the hallway, Elliot went in to the master bedroom and decided that it was time to call his mom.

Picking up the reciever and dialling the number, he waited for an answer.

"Stabler residence," Emily answered, sleepily.

"Hey, Em, did I wake you?"

"Nah, El. I've got basketball practice this morning. What's up?"

"Is mom up yet?"

"Yep. Hang on. Mom! El's on the phone!"

A moment later, his mother's voice flowed through the phone. "Hi, El, how are you this morning?"

"Tired but Olivia's beyond exhausted. She refuses to acknowledge the fact that she needs help, mom. Could you please come over while I'm at work? Just say you're coming to see Zachary."

"I don't have work today and I do want to see them, so yeah, I'll come, El. I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Thanks, mom. I have to get ready for work," he said and hung up to get ready for work.

Walking back in to the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, from his shower, Elliot found Olivia laying on the bed with Zachary asleep on her chest, sucking on a white pacifier, just like the night before when he found them on the couch. Olivia's eyes were closed but he knew that she wasn't asleep yet.

"Thought you were going to bath him, Livia?" he asked, opening a drawer.

Olivia opened her eyes to look up at Elliot as she rubbed Zachary's back. "I was but decided that I'd bring him in the bath with me," she explained, watching Elliot get dressed.

Elliot nodded. "Well I'll finish getting dressed and run you a bath," he told her and gave her a kiss, which Olivia more then willingly returned.

"Thanks," she whispered and kissed the crown of Zac's head.

Once dressed, Elliot went in to the bathroom and ran the bath. While he waited he did his hair and put on some after shave before turning off the bath taps when the water reached a certain level.

Returning to the bedroom, Elliot smiled. Olivia had fallen asleep.

He leaned down and caressed her cheek. "Baby, wake up. The bath is ready for you."

With a groan, Olivia opened her eyes. "Wha-?"

"Bath is ready, gorgeous," he said and gently took Zachary, so Olivia could get up.

Once she was standing, Elliot followed her in to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Olivia undressed as Elliot undressed their son. She then got in to the tub and held out her arms.

"Here you go, an awake and settled Zachary."

Smiling, Olivia took Zachary and craddled him to her, making sure to keep his shoulders and up above the water. "Thanks. You staying for a while?"

Looking at his watch, Elliot nodded. "Yeah. Still got half an hour free," he said, putting the toilet seat down and sat down.

As Olivia washed their infant son, Elliot couldn't help but watched with a proud smile.

Olivia caught Elliot's eyes on them and smiled herself. "Daddy's watching us, kiddo. I think he's fasinated by us. Do you think so too?" she cooed, wiping his head with a soft cloth, careful of his eyes.

"El? El?"

Snapping out of his day dream , Elliot cleared his throat. "Sorry, baby, what did you say?"

"I asked if you could take Zachary, so I can quickly wash myself?"

Standing up, Elliot grabbed a small towel and then took a squirming Zac. "It's alright, buddy. We'll get you warm," Elliot assured him, wrapping the towel warmly around his tiny body as he walked out of the bathroom toward the nursery.

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Once Zachary was dressed and Olivia was out of the bath, dry and dressed, Elliot passed Zachary to Olivia and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you tonight, baby. I love you and Zac."

"We love you too. Have a good day," she said and waved as Elliot walked out the door.

She locked the door behind him and caressed Zachary's warm cheek with the tip of her finger. "What shall we do today, kiddo? It's still summer vacation, so mommy doesn't have school work to do and we cleaned the apartment yesterday," she talked to Zac, heading in to the living room and sitting down on the couch.

The ringing of the phone startled her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, let's see who that is, huh?" she said and headed in to the kitchen.

"Stabler residence."

"_Olivia, it's Angie. I need you to call Elliot at work_," she said, sounding frantic.

"W-why? W-what's going on?" Olivia asked, trying to keep calm, as to not set Zac off in her arms.

She heard Angie sob before she got an answer. "_M-Mike's b-been shot. He's... He's in a... critical c-condition. They... They d- don't know if he'll make it._"

Olivia gasped. "Oh goodnees. Elliot won't be there yet but I'll leave a message for him."

"_Thanks. I'm going to come get you and Zachary."_

"Thank you. I'll call and get a diaper bag for Zac ready."

"_See you soon."_

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Sitting in the waiting room with Angie and Emily, Olivia pushed the baby carriage back and forth to provide a gentle, soothing motion as Zachary slept.

They were waiting for Elliot to arrive and Mike was still in surgery.

Running in, Elliot instantly found his mother, sister, wife and son.

"I... I g-got the message. Any word yet?"

Angie shook her head and gave her son a tight hug. "Not yet but they said that his chance weren't good, El," she choked out and started crying in to his shoulder.

Rubbing his mother's back, he whispered. "Dad's strong, mom, he'll fight."

Angie nodded with a sniffle and pulled back. "Yeah."

Walking over to Olivia and Zachary, Elliot reached in to the carriage and rubbed his son's belly before turning to Olivia and giving her a kiss. "Hey, baby. How are you holding up?"

Olivia shook her head. "Not so good, but I'm mainly here for you and your family, El. Your dad's a good man."

Elliot nodded and kissed her again. "Strict but yes, he is, Liv."

A doctor appeared and they all looked up to see the doctor's grim facial expression.

They saw him sigh sadly before looking at Angie and then the rest of them. "Angie... kids."

"Yes," Angie replied, "How is my husband, Andy?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm not too sure about this chapter but it's the best I could get it. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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"I'm so sorry, Angie, but your husband didn't make it. We lost him on the table... The bullet went through his chest and hit his left lung, we tried everything medically possible, but the damage was too great. I'm so sorry for your loss," Dr. Andrew Lachey told his co-worker.

Angie screamed in shock. "No! No! You got it wrong, Andy. Mike can't be dead! Our anniversary is in three weeks. Twenty seven years!" she sobbed.

Elliot rushed over to his mom and Emily, hugging them. Olivia felt so out of place and when Zachary started to scream from the noise level, Elliot turned on her.

"Get him the hell out of here, Olivia!" he seethed, just inches from her face.

Olivia's bottom lip quivered as she nodded. "Yes, Elliot," she said softly as she stood before pushing the carriage, containing a still screaming Zachary.

Watching Olivia go, Elliot sighed, he hadn't meant to turn on her but they needed quiet right now. He turned back to Angie and Emily, comforting them as they comforted him.

After seeing the body, Elliot guided them out. Walking back past the waiting room with an arm around each his mother and sister, he expected Olivia to be just outside with Zac, but she was no where in sight. "Mom, did you bring Liv and Zac here?" he asked, nervously.

"Yes. Why?"

"She's gone."

Angie just shook her head, unwilling to cooperate anymore. She just stared ahead in a daze as with Emily but Angie looked worse.

Opening the passenger door to his car, Elliot helped Angie in, as Emily got in the back.

Angie's car would be fine in the staff car park over night.

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After nursing Zachary and changing him, Olivia decided to lay down on the couch with him on her chest and wait for Elliot to get home. She knew that he was in shock of losing his father but was hurt that he took it out on her.

Shaking her head, Olivia rubbed Zac's back. "I don't know what mood daddy's going to be in when he gets home, kiddo," she whispered, still trying to keep calm, to keep her son happy.

She'd have a good cry when she put Zachary to bed though but hopefully it would be when Elliot got home, so they could comfort each other.

Falling asleep, Olivia woke again when Zachary started to cry for his next feeding. After giving the baby access and he latched on, suckling contently, Olivia got up and looked around the apartment.

She hoped that Elliot had come home, but had a feeling that he hadn't because he usually woke her if he came home and she was sleeping. Waking her by giving her a kiss.

"El?" she called out a couple times, only to get no answer both times.

She'd just managed to check the whole apartment before Zachary showed his discontentment with all the moving.

Sitting on her and Elliot's bed, she rubbed Zachary's arm, resting on the top of her breast. "Looks like your daddy hasn't come home, kiddo. When you're finished eating, mommy's going to change you and put you in your crib, so you can watch your mobile go around 'cause mommy needs to take a nap," she whispered.

Once Zachary was in his crib, happy to watch his mobile go around, Olivia turned the baby monitor on in the room and laid down for a good cry.

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Olivia had been crying for about forty minutes when she finally heard the key in the door and it being opened and closed.

Footsteps through the living room followed until Elliot stood in the doorway of the master bedroom.

Her husband was drunk. Olivia could not believe it, her eighteen year old husband was sloshed as their week old son slept in the nursery.

"What the hell, Elliot?! You're shit faced! How could you?!"

Stumbling over to the bed, he took off his shoes and pants before getting on the bed, sitting by her. He grabbed her arm a little too tightly and looked in to her eyes.

Furrowing her brows, Olivia tilted her head. "What?"

"We haven't had sex in like two months, Olivia. You're my wife. We're supposed to be intimate," he slurred.

"I didn't feel comfortable having sex during the last six weeks of my pregnancy and you said it was fine," she told him and held back the threatening sobs. "Now Zachary is only a week old and I'm still sore from his birth."

"Aww, come on, baby," he whispered, harshly.

"No!" she told him adamantly and pushed him away from her.

Seeing that he had passed out, Olivia shook her head and got up.

She slipped on some slip on shoes and grabbed a bag from under the bed, which she filled with clothes.

She'd grown up with a drunken mother, she couldn't handle a drunken husband and she had her son to think about now too.

Olivia headed in to the nursery and packed a diaper bag for Zachary before taking the money that they'd been saving, which was hidden under the crib.

Holding back her tears, Olivia picked Zac up and with a bag on each shoulder,she headed out in to the living room.

"We're going, kiddo," she whispered, placing him in his baby carriage. She then slung the diaper bag over the handle and put her bag in the basket underneath.

She grabbed a pen and piece of a paper to leave a quick note. '_Elliot, sober up and stop drinking, if you want me and Zachary to come home. I don't want a drunk for a husband please, I wouldn't be able to handle it. We'll be staying in a hotel.'_

Leaving the note on the fridge, she left with Zachary and locked the door behind her.

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Waking up, Elliot woke with a headache, his mouth was so dry and he felt like he was going to puke. The sun was going down and Elliot was trying to work out why the house was so quiet. The television should have been on or Olivia making noise in the kitchen, cooking dinner, but it was eerily silent.

Sitting up slowly, he called out for her. "Olivia? Liv?"

He got up and started to look around the apartment for her and/or Zachary. First he checked the nursery, only to find it empty.

"Liv? Where are you?" he called out for her a little louder, ignoring the pounding in his head and the nausea rising as he headed in to the living room, hoping to find them on the couch again but the TV was off and the couch was bare, except for the spare pillow.

"Olivia? Baby, where are you?" he called out again, heading in to the kitchen.

A note on the fridge caught his eye. He took it off and read it.

He rubbed a hand down his face and groaned as he read it. "What have I done?"

Putting the note down, he quickly got some aspirin and headed in to the bathroom to have a shower. He would then get dressed and head out. He had to find his wife and son.

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Standing in a hotel room, just outside Queens, Olivia stood looking out the window, rocking her sleepy son in her arms.

Sniffling, Olivia leaned down and kissed Zachary's forehead. "I wonder if your daddy has woken up yet, kiddo. I hope daddy can make the right decision. We can't lose him," she whispered, rubbing his head of dark brown hair.

In response, Zachary yawned and reached up to his mother with an open palm.

Olivia kissed his tiny palm and whispered, "We'll give daddy till morning and if he hasn't found us, then we'll go home and see what he has decided, huh, kiddo?"

Seeing rain start to fall, Olivia smiled. It hadn't rained like this since the night he was born.

"It hasn't rained like this since the night you came in to the world, my lil man. It's soothing, isn't it?"

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Spending an hour sitting in his car trying to think of where Olivia would have gone. Which hotel she would have gone to. He knew she wouldn't have gone far with Zachary, when she was still getting used to motherhood.

Rubbing his face, his head finally sprung up with an idea. "The hotel we went for our honeymoon," he muttered to himself and started up the car.

He had to get there quickly. He wanted Olivia and Zachary back.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Elliot ran in to the building and up to the front desk. "Is there an Olivia Stabler here with a baby?"

"Yes, there is," the woman behind the desk said, after looking in the book in front of her. "Room twelve." She gave him a key.

Taking the key, Elliot said, "Thank you."

Getting close to the room, Elliot could hear a baby screaming and a couple of men stood at the door, banging on it.

"Shut that baby up!" one yelled.

Elliot ran to the door. "Move! That's my wife and son in there," he said and unlocked the door.

Opening it, Elliot walked in and locked the door behind him.

Olivia was pacing around the room, crying, as Zac lay in the crib in the middle of the room, screaming and kicking unhappily.

"Liv? Baby? What's going on?"

Turning around, Olivia shook her head with a sob. "I- I c-can't c-calm him down."

Elliot walked up to her and caressed her cheek. "Go have a relaxing bath, Olivia and I'll try settle him down."

Nodding, Olivia headed in to the bathroom as Elliot headed over to the crib.

"Hey, little man. It's okay now, daddy's here," he assured the unhappy infant, picking him up.

He started to rock Zac and walked over to the window to look out at the stars in the night sky. "Shh, little man, it's okay, it's okay."

Seeing that Zac was finally settling down, Elliot walked over to the bed, to get a pacifier out of his diaper bag.

"Here we go, Zac," he whispered, slipping it in to his tiny mouth.

Zac kicked his leg happily and reached up to Elliot, suckling on the binky.

"Yeah, someone's a happy camper now, huh?" he whispered and laid him down on the bed. "I think mommy needs a cuddle in the bath."

Elliot got undressed and then undressed Zac before heading in to the bathroom.

Olivia lay in the bath, exhausted, but smiled, seeing her two favourite men in the doorway. "Hi. You got Zachary calm, huh?"

Elliot nodded and headed over. "Yeah. Have a cuddle, baby," he whisperd, passing Zac to her.

Taking her son, Olivia then moved up to make room for her husband.

Elliot got in behind her and he looked over her shoulder at Zachary in her arms, as she sat comfortably between his legs.

Zac was content with the world as he looked up at his parents, sucking on his pacifier.

"How do you manage to calm him down so fast when I rock him for ages trying to settle him down?" Olivia asked, looking up at him.

"Practice, baby. My parents involved me when they fed, changed and rocked Emily to sleep as a baby. I remember once when she was about four months old and she was very unsettled and mom and dad couldn't calm her. As she lay on the bed screaming, I climbed on to the bed beside her and started being silly. At first she was stunned and stopped crying. She continued to watch me and started to giggle. My parents were so relieved because she fell asleep shortly after. I got hot chocolate that night... Liv, you'll get the hang of it, Zachary is only week old. Give yourself time," he said and kissed her neck.

Olivia nodded and laughed when Zac started to nuzzle around and spat out his pacifier.

Finding his mother's breast, he started to suckle. "Guess he was hungry."

"He must think he's in heaven with his bottom half warm in the tub and he gets to eat at the same time," Elliot chuckled.

Nodding, Olivia sighed.

"What's wrong, baby? I thought you would be happy right in this moment."

Olivia hissed in pain. "Ouch, kiddo. Don't clamp down so hard please," she whispered, rubbing Zac's arm before answering Elliot, "I am happy, Elliot, don't get me wrong. But we have a lot of talking to do after I have put Zac down."

Elliot nodded. "I know, gorgeous and I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, Olivia said sternly, "We're not having his conversation while we sit in a hotel bath tub and I'm breast feeding our son, Elliot."

Sighing, Elliot just nodded. "Baby... I think you might have post partum depression."

Biting her bottom lip, Olivia didn't want to hear about it. "I'm fine, Elliot," she snapped. "I'm just trying to get a hang of this. It does not mean I'm depressed, alright?!"

Not knowing what to say, Elliot kissed her bare shoulder and looked back down at Zac.

No more words were spoken until Zac had finished. Moving up, Olivia asked, "Can you grab that towel for Zac please and burp him?"

Getting up out of the bath, Elliot answered, "Sure."

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A warm, clothed Zachary lay sleeping in the crib as Elliot paced around the room. Olivia still was to come out of the bathroom and Elliot was dreading the upcoming conversation, when she did finally come out the bathroom.

Elliot had just sat down on the bed when Olivia finally emerged from the bathroom in a pair of pink and grey sweat pants.

He could see the black bags under her eyes. She was in desperate need of a good night sleep and in the wake of his father's death, he couldn't possibly ask his mom to babysit over night to let them sleep.

Ignoring Elliot for a moment, Olivia walked to the crib, to her sleeping baby boy. Leaning down in the crib, she stroked back his downy dark brown hair and kissed his cheek.

Standing up, Olivia whispered, "Sweet dreams, my baby boy," before turning to Elliot. "Okay, let's talk."

Elliot gulped. This was not going to be an easy talk but the fact that she wanted to talk gave him hope that they would work through this.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: This chapter is for edge15684. I hope you enjoy it. For the next chapter please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Sitting down on the bed beside her husband, Olivia made sure that there was at least a few inches in between them.

Elliot's palms were sweaty with nervousness. He hoped with everything in him that his wife wasn't leaving him and taking their newborn son with her.

Sighing, Olivia rubbed her hands together. "Elliot..."

"I'm so sorry, baby. Please. Please forgive me."

Shaking her head, Olivia said, "Elliot, just apologizing isn't going to take it away. I grew up with an alcoholic and abusive mother, only because I didn't have a choice. I don't want a husband like that too. I have Zachary to think about too and I'll do everything in my power to protect that little boy." Her voice was firm but quiet as to not wake Zachary in the crib.

Biting his bottom lip Elliot nodded in complete understanding in what Olivia was telling him. "I know, Liv. I promise you and Zachary that I will never ever drink again."

Nodding, Olivia asked, "How did you get the alcohol in the first place? You're only eighteen."

Elliot bowed his head, ashamed. "I swipped it out of my dad's old liquor cupboard. My mom had locked herself in her bedroom, so she didn't know and Em was on the phone with Callie, telling her about dad, so she didn't know either. Callie and James are coming tomorrow to help with all the arrangements. We need to be at the house at ten am, baby."

"You sure Zac and I are welcome after you yelled at me cause he started to cry at the all the noise?" she asked sternly.

Sighing, Elliot took one of Olivia's hands in his and caressed the back of it with his thumb. "Liv, I'm so so sorry I did that. I... I had absolutely no right to yell at you, beautiful, and ... I don't know what came over me to do that to you," he whispered. A few stray tears fell from his eyes at the fear of losing her and Zachary.

Moving closer to Elliot, Olivia reached up and wiped away his tears. Seeing her husband's eyes well up with unshed tears, it made Olivia's anger melt away. He still had this calming effect on her no matter how hard she tried to fight it. "I... I forgive you. You're grieving the loss of your father, baby, and I can not imagine how hard it is but please... don't take it out on me or Zac. I'm here for you, I am not your enemy, remember that."

Elliot nodded and planted a kiss on her lips. "Yes, I know, gorgeous, and I'm so grateful for that."

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Waking up the next morning, Olivia woke to find herself in Elliot's warm embrace. She sighed contently and had no intention of moving but Zachary had other plans and decided that it was time for breakfast.

Reluctantly, she removed herself from his arms and got up out of bed, heading over to the crib.

She picked Zac up and kissed him on the forehead. "Morning, my beautiful baby boy. Breakfast time, huh?"

"Come back to bed, Liv," Elliot grumbled, opening an eye momentarily to see what time it was 6:09am flashed at him and he groaned.

Moving her pajama top for Zac, she walked over to the window and said, "After I feed Zachary I will, El."

Sighing, Elliot opened his eyes and watched Olivia nurse their son, humming to him as she kept looking between Zac and the sunrise through the window.

While Zachary was calm, Olivia seemed to be a natural at motherhood. So content and easy-going, knowing what to do, when and how, but when Zachary was cranky and unsettled, that was a completely different story. Olivia was depressed and hysterical. She just didn't know what to do, if she couldn't calm Zac down, then she'd get worked up and then Elliot had to calm them both down.

Elliot was starting to think that he get his wife to see someone about the post partum depression but wasn't game enough to say anything, not wanting to upset her. Zachary was only a week old, nine days to be exact, so Elliot just wanted to keep a close eye on her, just in case it was mainly frustration and fatigue that had her feeling like that. He could also see that something else was weighing on her mind but he didn't know what.

He got up and walked over to her before gently wrapping his arms around her, being careful of Zachary, who was still eating.

Sighing contently, Olivia leaned in to him.

"What are you thinking about, baby?" he asked and kissed her neck.

Moaning from the simple contact, she said, "Nothing." She was lying.

"Beautiful, please don't lie to me, I am your husband. I'm here for you too."

Olivia bit her bottom lip and rubbed her son's leg. "I... I am thinking about introducing Zac to my mom. She deserves to meet her grandson."

"Liv, you don't owe your mom a damn thing," he whispered, adjusting Olivia's top as she moved Zac up to her shoulder to burp.

Shaking her head, Olivia replied, "I know that, El... I just..." She exhaled deeply, rubbing Zachary's back.

"You just want to reconcile and develop a better relationship with her," Elliot finished for her.

She nodded. "Yeah... Ooh, excuse you, kiddo," she laughed when Zachary released a loud burp. "I just... I just wonder how she's going to react to the fact that I have a baby at seventeen. I was too ashamed to visit while I was pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed of Zachary or regret him. But..." She wiped the spit up from around Zachary's mouth.

"You're worried about your mom's opinion... of you... of your life?" Elliot guessed.

Olivia nodded again. "Yeah," she whispered.

Elliot kissed her neck. "If she reacts badly don't let it bring you down, baby. But she seemed like she wanted to rebuild her relationship with you, so she might be okay with it. She wants you happy. Remember, she said that?"

"Yeah, you're right. Can we go tomorrow?"

"Absolutely, gorgeous. We'll go tomorrow morning," he promised her, softly rubbing her post baby belly.

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Walking in to the house at just before ten that morning, Elliot looked around to find his mom. Olivia was just behind him with Zac falling asleep in the baby carriage.

"Mom?" he called out.

Looking up from the couch, Emily answered, "She's out the back with Callie and James, El."

"Thanks," he replied.

Taking Olivia's hand, Elliot helped Olivia push the carriage out on to the back deck. There on the porch swing sat Angie, Callie and James. And looking around, Elliot also saw Sandra and Maya and Callie's family, her husband Mark and their children, three year old Ethan and eighteen month old Chelsea.

"Mom, we're here."

Angie turned around to face her son and daughter in law and they could see her red, blood shot eyes from crying all night.

"Hey," she whispered, "Where's my handsome Zacy?"

Olivia picked Zachary up and gently handed him over to Angie. "Here he is."

Sniffling, Angie leaned down and kissed her grandbaby's head. "Hi handsome, have you been a good boy for your mommy and daddy?"

Yawning, Zac exhaled a shaky breath and reached up to his grammy.

"Liv, honey, have you got Zacy's pacifier there?"

"Yep," Olivia replied and went through the side pocket of the diaper bag. She grabbed out a blue pacifier and passed it to Angie.

Angie tried to put it in to Zac's mouth but he wouldn't take it. "Suck on the pacifier to wet it for Zac, Liv," Angie suggested.

Confused, Olivia took it back and put it in her mouth to wet it before passing it back to Angie, furrowing her brows watching what she was doing.

Zac took it willingly and his eyes drifted closed as he sucked on his binky.

Trying to hold back her sobs, Angie leaned down inhaling Zac's unique baby scent of baby powder, baby body wash and cream as she kissed his forehead. "You only knew your pop-pop for a very short time but..." she tried to hold back the threatening sob but it escaped anyway. "B-but I know that he loved you so much, handsome. And he will forever, he'll be watching over you."

Picking up on his grandmother's emotions, he started to wail unhappily.

Taking Zac back from Angie's out stretched arms, Olivia kissed his forehead as he squirmed and screamed. "Hey, hey, kiddo. It's okay, Zac," she cooed, reassuringly.

"Baby, could you please take him inside? So we can talk out here," Elliot asked and gave Olivia a kiss on the lips as he rubbed Zac's back.

Nodding, Olivia gently patted Zac's back. "Sure," she replied and headed back in to the house.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Heading in to the living room, Zachary finally settled in Olivia's arms and she gave him his pacifier back. He wouldn't take it again, so Olivia wet it again and gave it back to him and he willingly took it.

"Is that the way it's going to be, kiddo?" Olivia asked with a light chuckle. "Mommy has to put it in her mouth first before you want anything to do with it."

"Liv?"

Looking up, Olivia noticed Emily still sitting on the couch, watching TV. "Hey, Em. How come you're not outside?"

Emily sniffled and a sob escaped from deep in her throat.

Olivia laid Zac down in the bassinet, set up for him in the living room, which he would be using when Angie was going to baby sit and when Olivia would be there for school work, when the school year started.

With Zachary comfortable and asleep in his bassinet, Olivia sat down beside her sister in law and wrapped her arms around her. "That's it, Em. Let it all out," she whispered, rubbing Emily's back soothingly.

After nearly forty minutes of crying in to Olivia's shoulder, Emily's tears dried up and she gently pulled back. "Thank you, Liv, I needed that."

Olivia slightly smiled and nodded. "No problem, Em. Anytime."

"Liv?" a voice called from the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah?" she replied, turning around to face her husband. "What's wrong, babe?"

Looking closely she could see his red, blood shot eyes. He'd been crying with his mom and older siblings out on the back deck.

She got up instantly and wrapped her arms around him, to which Elliot wrapped his around her in returned and rested his head on her shoulder. "It's okay, baby, it's okay."

Olivia didn't call him babe or baby ofter but he loved it when she did because it was normally El or honey. He thought he was sweet when she called him that, sexy even.

"The funeral is in three days at ten thirty, Liv. We're all meeting here first and we're heading over together."

Olivia nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, honey."

"Can we go home now? I wanna cuddle up with you, baby."

Gently pulling back, Olivia kissed his cheek. "Of course. I'll just grab Zac."

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The morning of Elliot's father's funeral came quickly and Olivia had to prepare herself for a long, tiring day of comforting her husband and taking care of an infant, all on a couple hours of sleep.

Getting up at 6:30, she was already exhausted and the day was just beginning.

She walked in the nursery to see Zachary laying awake in his crib, just looking up at his airplane mobile.

Reaching in, Olivia smiled down at her son as she picked up. "Morning, kiddo. Did you have a good sleep?.. Well since I last put you back to bed?" she chuckled lightly.

In response, Zachary began to whimper and kick his legs.

"Oh yes, kiddo, I know. It's breakfast time," she whispered and sat down in the rocking chair.

She moved her pajama top to provide Zac assess.

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Sitting in the front row, in the funeral parlor, Olivia had Zac asleep in a carrier on her chest as she comforted her husband as best as she could. Her arm around him as he rested his head on her shoulder and a hand on their son's tiny back.

They were listening to the funeral director talk but Elliot found himself barely listening as Olivia rubbed his arm, soothingly.

She kissed his head. "You sure you're going to be able to give your speech, baby?"

Sighing, Elliot shook his head. "No, but I have too. It's for my dad, Liv," he whispered back.

Olivia nodded and gave Elliot a kiss on the crown of his head.

The day was long, but it was finally coming to an end. Mike had been laid to rest and the family was gathered at the house.

Olivia felt uncomfortable around everyone as she walked through the house with a hand protectively on a sleeping Zac's back as he slept in the pouch on her chest. Olivia did not know half of the people there and she couldn't find Elliot anywhere.

A couple, who she knew were Elliot's paternal great aunt and uncle, gave her evil glares as she walked past them rubbing Zac's back and kissing him on the head.

They didn't like Olivia as they saw her as a 'man trapping gold digger', no matter how much Elliot told them that he loved her and she was anything but that. They just couldn't grasp the fact that they were in love and were a family.

"Gold digger," Elliot's great aunty, Polly, muttered.

Olivia just shook her head and kissed Zac's head as she continued to walk by. "Come on, kiddo, let's find daddy," she whispered, trying to hold back her tears.

It hurt when someone in Elliot's family called her that, or accused her of trapping Elliot.

She weaved through the crowds of Elliot's family and family friends, a lot of whom gave her evil and angry glares.

Finally catching sight of Elliot, Olivia's tears were already flowing and Zachary was started to get fussy in the pouch on her chest.

"El! Elliot!"

Hearing his wife's desperate calls for him, he excused himself from the conversation with his Uncle Rick, cousin Seamus and his brother James.

He rushed over to her and seeing her tears, he gently wrapped his arms around her, being careful of Zachary in between them.

"Oh, baby, baby, what is it?" he asked, concerned, rubbing her back.

"C-can we g-go home?"

"Livia, I need to stay here."

Shaking her head, Olivia pulled back from Elliot. "I'm going home. I'll see you tonight," she told him and walked away.

Sighing, Elliot called out to her, "Liv!"

Olivia just kept walking back in to the house without stopping. She had to get out of there. She didn't feel welcome.

Ignoring everyone, Olivia walked through the house, grabbing Zac's diaper bag and rushed out.

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**A/N 2: I promise that they'll work through this hard time. Please don't forget to review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: This may not be going in the way some people want, but please bare with me and please keep reading and reviewing. This is for everyone who has reviewed every or nearly every chapter, you keep me writing.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize,**

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Elliot walked in to the apartment about three hours after Olivia had rushed out of his mother's house to find all the lights off and it quiet. He was beginning to freak out.

_Had Olivia taken off with Zac again? Oh God, he hoped not._

"Liv?" he called out, walking through the apartment.

Finding no sign of Olivia and Zachary in the kitchen or living room, Elliot rushed in to the small hallway and called out for his wife again.

"Liv? Olivia?"

Upon getting no reply, Elliot began to mutter, "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

Opening the master bedroom door fully, Elliot looked toward the bed. He sighed in relief when he saw his wife laying curled up in bed, sound asleep and the baby monitor sitting on the nightstand, it was turned on. Zachary was asleep in his crib, in the nursery.

Elliot sat down on the side of the bed and leaned down to give Olivia a kiss on the cheek.

Stirring, Olivia's eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked up at Elliot with a sleepy, sad smile. "Hi," she greeted him in a nearly inaudible whisper.

"Hey, baby," he whispered, caressing her warm cheek. "You okay?"

"Yeah, was just so exhausted, so I decided to take a nap while Zac was asleep," she explained, softly.

"Okay, baby. Are you hungry?"

Smiling, Olivia reached up and caressed his cheek. "Yes, I am. A little."

"I'll check on Zac and go cook something nice for you, okay, baby? Get some sleep and I'll wake you for dinner," he said and gave her a kiss on the lips before getting up.

"Zac will be hungry again soon."

"Is there a bottle for him in the fridge?"

With her eyes drifting shut, Olivia nodded." Yeah."

"Well I'll feed him, baby. Sleep, you're exhausted."

"Thank you," she whispered and let sleep take over.

Elliot walked out and shut the door behind him.

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Walking in to the nursery, Elliot found his son just waking up for his next feed. He reached in and gently picked him up. "Hey, kiddo. Let's get some milk in to that your tummy of yours, huh?"

Zachary kicked his chubby legs and Elliot saw Zac's face scrunch up. Zachary was about to start screeching shortly.

He lifted his son up to his shoulder and patted his back as he headed in to the kitchen.

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With too much running through her mind, Olivia lay in bed, unable to relax enough to get back to sleep. She simply lay in silence, looking up at the ceiling, thinking. Elliot had promised to take her to see her mother two days ago but at the last minute, he had decided to go out with some friends, who he hadn't seen in a while, forgetting about the promise that he had made to his wife and Olivia wondered if he remembered yet or not because she surely had not forgetten.

Sighing and knowing sleep wasn't going to return without Elliot's arms around her and his body against hers, she got up out of bed and headed in to the living room. Smiling when she found Elliot sitting on the couch watching the television as he fed Zachary a bottle.

"First time I've seen that and what a beautiful sight it is."

Olivia's voice startled Elliot. He jumped and turned to face her. "Thought you were asleep, Livia."  
She took a seat on the couch beside Elliot and caressed Zac's tiny cheek as he drank from the small bottle containing his mommy's milk. "Couldn't sleep without you holding me... I'm so glad that he's accepting the bottle. I might be able to get more the about three hours of sleep at one time."

Sighing, Elliot asked, "Baby, what happened that got you so upset and rushing out of my mom's house?"

In response, Olivia shook her head and went to make her escape, only to be stopped by Elliot gently grabbing her wrist.

"Don't, Liv. Stay here and talk to me," he said and put Zac's bottle on the coffee table since he was finished with it. Putting Zac up to his shoulder, he started patting his back and asked Olivia again. "Please talk to me. Tell me what happened, beautiful."

"Your great aunt and uncle again," she whispered sadly.

Elliot sighed. "What did they say this time, angel?"

"They called me a 'gold digger.'"

Zachary released a burp and Elliot laid him down in his arms before caressing Olivia's cheek. "I'm so sorry about them, Livia. Just ignore them," he said and sensed something else was troubling her. "What else is wrong, Olivia?"

Resting her head on Elliot's shoulder, Olivia reached over and rubbed Zac's head. "You... You..." she stuttered before licking her dry bottom lip as she sighed in frustration.

"I what, baby?" he asked confused.

"You promised to take me to see my mom, so I can introduce Zac to her."

Elliot groaned. He'd completely forgotten all about it. "Oh my God. I forgot. Olivia, I'm so sorry. I'll take you tomorrow, I promise."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome, beautiful. Go back to bed and rest, okay? I'll put Zac in his portable crib out here while I cook dinner."

Nodding, Olivia kissed his cheek before getting up. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too," Elliot replied and watched her head back toward the bedroom.

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Being startled by the alarm at seven the next morning, since he hadn't slept as he was mourning the loss of his father, Elliot turned off the offending noise and looked over at his wife. Olivia was still sound asleep.

He gently got up off the bed and headed out of the room to go in to the nursery.

Zachary was wide awake, kicking his chubby little legs and crying softly.

"Hey, buddy, it's okay. Daddy's here," Elliot whispered, picking him up. He turned around just in time to see Olivia standing in the door way with messy bed hair, half asleep. "Morning, baby."

Running a hand through her knotty hair, Olivia put her other arm over her chest. "Morning. Could I feed him please? Too much milk. Uncomfortable," she whispered.

"Sure," Elliot replied and passed Zachary to her before giving her a kiss on the lips. "I'll get breakfast ready."

"Thanks, El," she whispered tiredly and walked back in to the master bedroom.

Time went quickly and before they knew it they had arrived at the prison. Olivia slipped Zachary delicately in to the pouch on her chest as Elliot grabbed the diaper bag and closed the car door, locking the car.

He slung the handle of the bag on his shoulder and took a hold of Olivia's hand, which wasn't supporting Zac in the pouch. "Let's do this, huh?"

Leaning in to Elliot slightly as they walked in to the building, she said softly, "Yeah. Don't know how she's going to react though."

Elliot caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as they headed up to the desk. "If she criticizes, don't let it get you down, baby. You're an awesome mom. A natural."

Olivia scoffed. "A natural? El, I'm not a natural. I'm learning on the job."

Laughing, Elliot leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "A fast learner then," he told her before turning to the officer at the front desk. "We're here to see Serena Benson."

"ID?"

Elliot let go of Olivia's hand and got out both their IDs before showing them to the officer.

Going over the list and looking at their IDs, the officer nodded before handing them back. "Just sign here and you can go in."

After signing, Elliot and Olivia were guided in to the visitor's room and waited for a guard to bring Serena in.

Elliot pulled out a chair and said, "Sit down, beautiful."

Putting her other hand on Zac's back for extra support, she sat down just as Serena was guided in.

"Hello Olivia. Elliot."

"Hi mom... Ah, how are you?"

Shrugging, Serena said, "I'm as good as I can be in this place but I got myself here, I guess. Babysitting?"

Taking a deep breah, Olivia shook her head, "Mom, this is Zachary Isaiah Stabler. He's my son. Your grandson."

Serena was shocked. "What the hell?! What were you thinking, young lady?!"

"I don't regret him, mom. I'm happy. I'm married to Elliot too."

Biting her bottom lip, Serena spoke softly, "As soon as you're happy, I guess I can't argue with that. Can I meet my grandson?" she asked but seeing her daughter's anxiety about it, she added, "He's my grandson, I won't hurt him."

Wiping away a stray tear, Olivia replied, "I'm your daughter and you hurt me."

Elliot walked over and kissed Olivia's cheek. "Keep calm, baby."

Sighing, Serena nodded, sadly. "I know and I'm sorry, baby girl. I was a drunk. I've been sober since they chucked me in here."

"Only because you have no choice," Olivia accidentally snapped.

"And that's just what I needed. I'll never drink again, angel, I promise."

Olivia sobbed, upsetting Zachary. "You... you haven't called me 'angel' since I was like twelve," she said, rubbing Zac's back to settle him down.

"I know and I'm sorry for that too."

Olivia got up slowly and Serena followed suit, not sure about what was about to happen next.

Taking Zac out of the pouch, Olivia smiled sadly and passed him to Serena. "Meet your grandson, mom."

Serena delicately took Zachary in her arms and kissed his forehead. "Hi handsome, I must say you're as cute as your mommy was," she whispered and looked up at Olivia. "How old is he?"

"He's twelve days old," Olivia answered with a 'proud mama' smile.

"He's going to be a heart breaker when he's older. Girls will be lining up."

"I think so too, but being his mommy, so of course I think so," Olivia said and smiled, feeling her husband's arms snake around her middle and him resting his head on her shoulder.

"So, how are you handling motherhood, Liv?" Serena asked, prying her eyes away from her grandson for a second to look up at her daughter.

"It's hard, I'll admit that, but it's a great experience and I can't imagine my life without Zachary, or Elliot for that matter. I'm reallly happy, mom. It's hard, but I'm getting by just fine," Olivia admitted, honestly.

Serena nodded, rubbing Zachary's arm as he sucked on his binky, sleepily. His opened his little eyes and yawned, and Serena caressed his cheek with the tip of her finger. "You've got your mommy's eyes there, pumpkin. You're a very handsome little boy and I must say that I'm proud to call you my grandson. You're going to be strong and smart just like your mommy and daddy and you're going to make the girls go wild over you," she whispered and Olivia couldn't help but cry a little with happiness, her mother was taking this very well and she was glad.

Elliot kissed her cheek. "See, gorgeous, your mom is handling it just fine," he whispered in her ear and Olivia nodded in agreement.

"Times up," a guard said after some more bonding and grabbed out the handcuffs.

Serena gave Zachary one last kiss on the forehead and passed him back to Olivia, who slipped him back in to the pouch, before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Take care, baby girl, and take good care of my grandbaby."

"I will, mom. See you."

Being cuffed again, Serena said, "Come visit again soon, see you."

Serena was guided out and Olivia and Elliot made their way out.

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Walking back in to the apartment, Elliot and Olivia were startled by the apartment phone ringing.

"Feed Zachary, baby. I'll get the phone," he said and gave Olivia a kiss on the lips.

She nodded and headed upstairs, in to the master bedroom.

Elliot picked up and answered the phone nervously. "Stabler residence... Oh, hello... Really?.. Tomorrow morning, 0700 hours... Yes, I know where that is. I'll be there, sir. Thank you for the call."

Hanging up the phone, Elliot sighed. This conversation with Olivia was not going to end well, he just knew it.

He decided hat he would wait until after she'd fed Zachary but he would sit with her.

He headed in to the hallway and in to the master bedroom. Finding his wife nursing their son, softly humming, on the verge of falling asleep, Elliot smiled.

"Who was that on the phone, El?" she asked softly, once she noticed him in the doorway.  
Elliot walked over to the bed and sat down beside Olivia. "I need to talk to you once you have put Zachary down for a nap."

Rubbing Zac's arm and looked in to her husband's eyes, she whispered, "Just tell me now, Elliot."

Sighing, Elliot shook his head. "I'll tell you once you put Zac down."

"Elliot, just tell me," she said, through gritted teeth.

"Baby, please, just let me tell you after."

Olivia sighed in frustration. "Fine, I'll finish feeding Zac and then change him before putting him to bed, okay?"

Elliot nodded and got up off the bed. "I'll make you some lunch while I wait for you."

"Okay," she whispered and turned her attention back to Zac as Elliot walked out of the bedroom, heading for the kitchen.

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**Please don't forget to review.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Walking in to the living room with a ham and cheese sandwich on a plate in each hand, Elliot found his wife already sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

She was nervous, he could tell easily by her knee bouncing and the rubbing of her hands on her pants. Sweaty pants.

Sighing he approached the couch, sat down beside Olivia and passed her one of the sandwiches. "Here you go, baby."

Olivia took the sandwich and instantly placed it on to the coffee table. She couldn't eat it till she knew what the hell was going on. "El, please... Just tell me what the hell is going on. You're freaking me out here."

Taking a deep breath, Elliot exhaled it slowly and put his sandwich on the coffee table before taking Olivia's hand in his.

He looked deeply in to her eyes, sadly, and said, "It was Sergeant Eric Price."

"The Marines?"

Nodding sadly, Elliot rubbed the back of her hand. "Yes, baby."

Her eyes started to well up and tears began to flow. Her breathing got quick and heavy and she started to hyperventilate.

Caressing Olivia's cheek, Elliot said, "Settle down, beautiful. Take deep breaths."

Once Olivia's breathing regulated, she asked with a sniffle, "When?"

"I have to be at the depot tomorrow morning at seven," he told her and gave her a kiss.

"F-for how l-long?"

Gently wiping away some more of Olivia's fallen tears, he said, "I don't know, gorgeous. I'm sorry."

"What about Zachary? It's only twelve days old."

"I know, 'Livia, and I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Nodding, Olivia bit her bottom lip. "Hold me," she whispered, "And don't let me go till you have to leave."

Wrapping his arms around her, Elliot kissed her cheek and whispered, "That's my plan. After we eat, we'll get Zac and lay in bed with him, okay, baby?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

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Laying in bed that night, Olivia found herself unable to sleep. Gently extracting herself from her husband's arms, Olivia looked at the clock as she sat up. It was only 2:18AM. Zachary would probably be hungry soon since he hadn't woken her up yet.

Getting up and walking out the room, Olivia took one last look at her husband and went in to the nursery.

As she approached the crib, she found her newborn son still peacefully sleeping with a tiny closed fist on each side of his head.

She leaned down in to the crib and caressed his chubby cheek. "Hey, buddy. I'm surprised that you haven't woken up yet for food," she whispered. "From today, it's just going to be the two of us, little man, and it's going to be tough but we'll get by." She choked back a sob and rubbed Zac's pudgy belly.

Zachary's eyes open and he blinked before kicking his chubby little legs.

"Yes, baby, mommy's here," she whispered, picking him up and headed over to the rocking chair to nurse him.

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The absence of his wife in his arms woke Elliot quickly and he headed in to the nursery, knowing that's where she was. He stopped when he heard Olivia talking to Zachary. He could hear the tears in her voice. The pain that he was leaving them, if only for a while.

She was only a seventeen year old mom, she needed him, his support but he had to go. He had been called upon and he had to leave. Olivia had been hoping on hope that Elliot wouldn't be called but he had.

Her confession to baby Zachary broke his heart.

He'd have to get Angie alone at the depot before he leaves and ask her to support Olivia as much as she possibly could because Olivia was going to need it.

Walking in, he saw Olivia rocking back and forth in the rocking chair, nursing their son.

"Liv, baby."

Wiping away her silent tears, Olivia turned her face to look at Elliot and slid her hand back under Zac's diapered bottom. "Yes, El?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as normal as possible.

Approaching her, Elliot squatted down in front of her, placing a hand on her thigh. "I love you, baby."

"I know. I love you too. Please don't go," she whispered with a sniffle.

She was begging him and Elliot knew it. And it pained him.

Sighing, Elliot reached up and caressed her cheek. "I can't, beautiful, I'm so sorry. I have to go."

Shaking her head, Olivia looked down at Zachary, who was still eating away, contently. Licking her bottom lip, she whispered, "Go back to bed, honey. You need all the sleep you can get."

"Baby, I'm not worried about sleep. I just want to hold you and Zachary, okay?"

Olivia nodded, trying to hold back a sob. "Okay," she whispered back.

Once Zachary was finished, Olivia passed him to Elliot and fixed her top. Elliot wanted to burp him one last time before he had to leave.

"Good job, kiddo," Elliot whispered, when Zac released a burp.

Still sitting in the rocking chair, Olivia watched Elliot changed their son's diaper, with a sad smile. She loved watching her husband and son together, it was a beautiful sight.

Giving Olivia his hand, he said, "Come on, gorgeous, let's go back to bed."

Olivia took his hand, sadly, and let him guide her back to bed.

Laying on his back, Elliot had Zachary on his chest, sleeping, and Olivia lay snuggled in to him with her head on his chest, beside Zachary and an arms carelessly slung over his stomach, never ever wanting to let her man go.

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Waking up at 5:30 to the alarm, Olivia noticed that she was still in the warmth of her husband's arms and she could hear the soft, quick breathing from Zachary, still sleeping on Elliot's chest.

She lifted up her head and looked up to see Elliot was already awake and watching her and Zac.

"Morning, baby," he greeted her in a whisper, seeing that she was waking up.

Rubbing Zachary's back softly, she replied, "Morning, El. Has Zac been asleep this whole time?"

Smiling, Elliot nodded. "Yeah, he sure has. If he does this every night, you'll get more sleep," he said and leaned down to give her a kiss.

Returning the kiss, Olivia rested her forehead against Elliot's for a second. "I'm... We'll miss you so much. Call us whenever you have a chance. Zac and I will need to hear your voice."

With a nod, Elliot caressed her cheek. "I have some training first, Liv, so I'll try to call you every night, okay?"

Olivia nodded and went to get up but Elliot stopped her. "El, I got to go cook breakfast."

Sitting up with a hand on Zac's back to hold him still, Elliot said, "I'll put Zac down and we'll shower together."

Olivia nodded and headed in to the bathroom without a word, scare that she would lose the fight against the threatening sobs.

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Trying to hold back her tears in the shower, it failed, Olivia didn't even get a chance to hide them before Elliot stepped in to the shower behind her.

He wrapped his arms around her but she resisted, so Elliot tried again, this time successful. "I'm sorry, honey."

With a sad sigh, Olivia shook her head. "I know, El. I've got to finish washing myself, Zachary will probably start crying any minute for his next feed," she said and pulled away.

"Liv..." Elliot started but was stopped by their infant son crying through the baby monitor, sitting on the bathroom counter.

Before Elliot could react, Olivia was out of the shower and drying herself with a towel.

She put her pink, fluffy robe on and rushed out, toward the nursery. "Hi, kiddo, it's okay, mommy's here, mommy's here," she whispered, picking up a wailing, hungry Zachary.

Olivia sat down on the bed and moved her robe, to expose her breast, adjusting her son accordingly.

Zac latched on immediately and started to eat, hungrily.

Gently patting Zachary's diapered bottom, she kissed his forehead. "You had yourself a little sleep in, didn't you, kiddo? Yeah, baby boy. After you have finished, mommy needs to get dressed and change you, then we have to see daddy off..." She held back a sob as to not upset Zachary as he nursed. "From today, it's just going to be us, little man. It's going to be tough but we'll get by, won't we?"

Zachary looked up at his mother with sleepy chocolate brown eyes. He didn't care what she was saying, as long as she continued to provide the warm milk.

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Standing just inside the bedroom doorway, Elliot heard Olivia's confession and it broke his heart. He didn't want to leave his wife and son. In a way he was regretting the fact that he had signed up but he would be serving his country and providing for Olivia and Zachary financially. He was just hoping that he wouldn't be gone long. Hopefully he would be back home by Zachary's first birthday at the latest.

With a sigh, Elliot headed in to the master bedroom to get dressed.

Olivia looked up sadly at Elliot and went to say something but the words wouldn't come, so she turned her eyes back to Zac, who was still nursing.

Elliot noticed and squatted down in front of her. "What is it, honey? What were you going to say?"

With a shake of her head, Olivia said, "You have to get dressed and I need to burp Zac." She lifted Zac up to her shoulder and started to pat his back.

"Liv..."

"Time is not on our side this morning, El, I still have stuff to do. Get dressed."

Nodding, Elliot stood back up and headed over to the chest of drawers.

Zac burped and Olivia started to rub his back to see if he had any wind left.

Satisfied that he didn't, she kissed his head and laid him on the bed, with a pillow each side of him to protect him, so she could get dressed.

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Looking around at all the crying families was making it even harder for Olivia to say goodbye to Elliot, especially with Angie and Emily crying beside her too. Even Zachary was fussy in his father's arms.

With a kiss to Zachary's forehead, Elliot whispered, "Be good for mommy, son."

Olivia couldn't hold back her tears anymore and before he could wipe them away, Elliot saw them.

He laid Zachary down in the carriage and let Emily entertain him a little. As Emily rubbed her nephew's chubby little belly, he sarted to settle down a little.

Wrapping his arms around Olivia, Elliot planted feather light kisses on her face and neck. "I love you, beautiful. Mom will be helping you with Zac, okay?"

"I love you too...I don't need help to take care of our son, El. I need my husband," she whispered, not wanting to let Elliot go.

Elliot gave her one more gentle squeeze and a lingering kiss on the lips before reluctantly letting her go. "I love you and I'll call you every chance that I get," he promised.

Reluctant, Olivia nodded. "I love you too. Zac and I will be anxiously waiting for each call to hear your voice."

"And I'll be anxious to make the calls to hear your voice too," he said and kissed her on the lips passionately, caressing her cheek before slowly pulling back.

Elliot quickly said another goodbye to his mom, sister and son before giving his wife one last linging kiss and rushed over to the group.

Pushing the carriage back and forth to soothe Zac to sleep, Olivia painfully watched her husband go. Families were leaving and she was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, followed by a soft, caring voice.

"Come on, honey. Time to go," Angie whispered.

Olivia gulped and nodded. She was going to be living as a single mother and doing school work at the same time until Elliot returned home. It was going to be tough but it had to be done.

Olivia followed Angie and Emily to the car without a word and as soon as Angie unlocked the car, she opened the back passenger door. She went to pick Zac up from the carriage to put him in to his car seat but was stopped by Angie gently grasping her wrist.

"Liv..." she spoke softly.

With a sigh, Olivia picked up the newborn and stood up properly again. "Yeah?"

"Would you like to stay with me and Emily at the house?"

Shaking her head, Olivia placed Zachary in to his seat and buckled him in. And as she continued to ignore Angie, she got Zachary's pacifier, wet it and slipped it in to his mouth.

She shut the door and went to walk around the car to get in the other side but Angie stood in front of her, preventing her from moving.

"Yes?"

"Liv, just because Elliot is away does not mean we cut you and Zac off. You and Zac are family, honey," she told Olivia, rubbing her arm.

Folding her arms on her chest, Olivia shook her head. Although thankful for the graceful offer, she said, "No thanks. Zac and I will be just fine. Could you please just drop us off at home? Zac will be asking for his next feed soon."

With a frustrated sigh, Angie headed to the driver's side, allowing Olivia to get in the back with Zac. Emily took the front passenger seat.

Putting the key in to the ignition, Angie peered through the mirror back at Olivia. She watched as the teen put on her big, dark brown sunglasses and rub Zachary's belly as he slept happily, sucking on his blue pacifier, with a tiny loosely closed fist on each side of his head.

"Mom, you okay?" Emily asked concerned, seeing that her mom was lost in thought.

"Huh?" Angie asked, snapping out of those thoughts.

"I asked if you were okay."

Nodding, Angie put the car in gear. "Yeah, just thinking. Let's get Liv and Zac home," she said and drove off.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for the next.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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The first few days without Elliot, Olivia was having a rough time trying to look after Zachary. He was extra fussy and Olivia was missing Elliot more and more, each and every single minute of the day. She even avoided Angie and Emily for the first few days until Angie had had enough and she and Emily turned up and used her key to get in.

Using her key to let themselves in, Angie walked in to the apartment with Emily close behind. The place was dark, quiet and a complete mess. Angie was even more concerned then.

"Olivia?" she called out and turned on the light, looking around.

"Liv?" Emily also called out, heading toward the bathroom.

Upon receiving no response, Angie headed in to the master bedroom, sighing in relief as she looked in. The room was a mess with dirty clothes, manly Zachary's but Olivia was asleep with Zac on her abdomen, his little head on her breast. He was awake and was only beginning to fuss.

Angie tip-toed in to the bedroom and went to take Zachary but Olivia's motherly instincts kicked in and she held on to her son as her eyes snapped open. "It's okay, honey. It's just me."

"Angie?"

"Yeah, Liv. You're exhausted. Sleep some more. Emily and I will look after Zac for a while."

"I can do it," Olivia whispered distantly, before falling back to sleep.

With a smile, Angie delicately picked her grandson up and carried him out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Emily, have a look in the fridge. Is there any bottles of milk for Zac?"

Emily looked in the fridge and pulled a bottle out. "Yep."

"Swap you. Keep Zac company while I warm it up," Angie said and passed Zachary to Emily before taking the bottle.

Taking her nephew with a smile, Emily said, "Sure. Come on, Zachy."

Zachary began to fuss more in response. He was hungry and he wanted to be fed right now. He'd soon start to wail, which would end up waking his exhausted, young mother on the other side of the apartment.

Pacing around as her mother heated up the four oz bottle of breast milk, Emily gently bounced Zachary up and down, rubbing his tiny back. "It's okay, Zac, grammy is getting you some milk, buddy," she whispered to the unsettled infant.

With the milk heated to the perfect temperature, Angie turned to Emily.

"Have a seat on the couch, Em, you can feed Zac while I clean up the apartment."

Emily took a seat on the couch with Zac comfortably laying him down in her arms and asked, "Is Liv okay?"

With a sigh, Angie passed her daughter the bottle. "She will be. She's just exhausted and missing Elliot," she said and made her way back in to the master bedroom.

"Here you go, Zachy," Emily whispered, lightly grazing the bottle's teat over his strawberry lips.

Zachary was reluctant at first but he took a hold and began to suckle hungrily as his aunt gently patted his diapered bottom.

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Tip-toeing back in to the bedroom to pick up all the clothes to take them down to the laundry room to wash, Angie thought that Olivia was still sound asleep until she heard a muffled sniffle from the bed.

Turning around, Angie saw her daughter in law laying curled up under the covers, just about strangling a pillow as she cried softly but painfully.

She sat down on the bed by Olivia's still curvy, post pregnancy waist and caressed her cheek. "Hey, hey, honey, it's okay, it's okay," she soothed.

Shaking her head, Olivia tried to bury her head further in to the pillow, which Angie assumed to be Elliot's.

"It's perfectly alright to ask for help, Liv. We all miss Elliot. And you need help with Zachary and that's what we're here for. To love and to help you. Now Em is feeding him, I'm going to wash all these dirty clothes and you, my dear, you're going to get some more much needed sleep. I'll wake you up for lunch."

Sniffling, Olivia nodded and her body gave way to sleep.

Angie put the dirty clothing in a basket and headed out of the bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind her before heading in to the living room.

Emily sat on the couch, burping her baby nephew.

"Is Zac finished already?" Angie asked, frowing her brows, seeing the half full bottle on the coffee table.

Emily shrugged her shoulder, continuing to pat Zac's back. "He refuses to drink anymore. He's really fussy, mom," she explained to her mom.

"Is he?" Angie asked, putting down the basket.

With a nod, Emily passed Zac to Angie. "It's like he realizes that Elliot isn't home," she said sadly.

Rubbing Zachary's back, Angie sighed. "Could you please grab the baby pouch carrier?"

"Sure, mom," Emily replied and went in to the nursery, making sure to keep quiet near the master bedrom, as to not wake Olivia up.

Emily returned just in time to hear Zachary finally burp.

"Ah, there you are, little man. You were starting to feel uncomfortable not being able to get rid of that. Now it's all better, huh?" Angie cooed, continuing to rub his back a little longer.

"Here, mom," Emily said, holding out the carrier.

"Hold Zac for a sec," Angie said softly and Emily put down the carrier.

Once Zac was in the carrier, Angie picked the basket up again. "Zachy and I are going down to the laundry room and wash these clothes. Could you please clean the kitchen and living room? Just keep as quiet as you can, Em, so you don't wake Olivia."

Emily nodded and Angie left with Zachary.

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Watching the clothes go round and round in the dryer, Angie tried to entertain her fussy grandson. He'd slept for a while but now he was fussing again. She planted a kiss on Zachary's head, the whole time supporting it. "Okay, handsome, grammy knows," she cooed softly and pulled out a small, soft teddy bear, which she'd accidentally picked up with the pile of dirty clothes in the bedroom. "Here you go, handsome," she said, holding the teddy up in his line of vision. "Look what grammy's got."

In response, Zachary started to fuss even more. His tiny fists clenched up and started to wave around angrily.

Rubbing Zac's back, she bobbed up and down a little before she stopped the dryer ten minutes short of it finishing. "Just give grammy a minute, sweetie, and we'll go back upstairs to your mommy."

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Cleaning up the living room after being finished with the kitchen, Emily was startled when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around and saw Olivia standing in the doorway leading to the bedroom.

Half asleep with messy bed hair, Olivia was dressed in grey baggy sweat pants and a white tank top, which showed her post pregnancy belly.

Being so busy with an infant, she hadn't had time to work out or get back in to her jogging. She ran a hand through her knotty hair and slightly smiled at her sister in law. "Hey," she whispered, "Where's Zac and Angie?"

"Just down in the laundry room. They'll be back soon. Go have a relaxing bath while I vacuum in here."

"Thanks, Em. I really need to wash my hair," she said with an apprecative smile and headed toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

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Walking in to the apartment with a still fussy Zachary, Angie stopped Emily from vacuuming for a minute. "Is Liv up again?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah, she went to have a bath about ten minutes ago," she informed her mother.

With a nod, Angie headed in to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Olivia called through the door and covered herself with bubbles.

"It's Angie, honey. I have a little one here, who wants his mommy. You covered up?"

"Yeah, you can come in."

Angie opened the door and walked in. Taking Zac out of the carrier, she apologized and went to undress Zac. "Sorry for disturbing you but Zac really wants his mommy."

With a tired smile, Olivia delicately took her son and quickly got his bottom half in to the warm water. "It's okay... Hi kiddo, mommy's got you now. Did he eat yet?"

"Only half a four oz bottle. I'll leave you two alone," she said and left, closing the door behind her.

Olivia cleaned the bubbles off her chest before guiding her son to her breast, making a v shape around her nipple and grazed it over his lips, to see if he was hungry.

He must've been because he latched on straight away.

As he ate slowly, Olivia leaned down and kissed his head. This mother thing was very hard but she didn't want to admit it to Angie. She didn't want her mother in law to think that she was useless and couldn't take care of her own son. But she was so exhausted, since Elliot left, she'd had maybe four hours of sleep, if that. She was also starting to feel isolated and depressed because she didn't know anyone else with a baby, she only knew people with toddlers and they all worked.

Biting her bottom lip, Olivia tried to hold back her tears as to not upset Zac, who was still slowly nursing. She never thought breast feeding could hurt, but it did and she constantly thought about changing Zac on to formula but she couldn't afford the formula with everything else that she had to pay for and she didn't have the courage to ask for more money from Angie.

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Watching her mother packing a bag of Olivia's clothes, Emily was confused. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"Liv and Zac are going to be staying with us," Angie replied, continuing to pack. "Go pack a bag for Zac please. Make sure you have plenty of clothing, baby wipes, diapers and pacifiers. We have some at home but bring them anyway and we have plenty of powder and some other things for him."

Furrowing her brows, Emily asked, "Did Liv agree to this?"

"Em, just do it please."

"Ah... Sure," Emily replied and headed in to the nursery.

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Being deep in thought, Olivia was startled by a knock at the door. "Hang on," she called out. Seeing that her son had finished nursing, she lifted him up to her shoulder and covered her breasts with bubbles. "Okay, come on in."

Angie walked in to see Olivia gently patting Zachary's back, burping him. "You and Zachy are coming to stay with me and Emily at the house."

Olivia shook her head. "No thanks, we'll be fine."

Angie walked over to the bath tub and squatted down beside it. "No, sweetheart, you're exhausted. You need help. Why can't you accept that? Being a single mother can be very hard and exhausting. It's a twenty four hour job, honey. It is even hard when you have a partner, spouse or family member helping you, especially if the child is very fussy and isn't letting you sleep. Don't be ashamed to ask for help, I'm not going to think less of you," she tried to explain, "Come on, just for a few days at least."

With a reluctant sigh, Olivia nodded. "Okay, thank you. Could you please finish burping Zac and get him dressed before he gets cold?"

"Sure. Come here, handsome," Angie cooed, taking her grandson with a towel in hand.

She headed out and closed the door behind her, allowing Olivia a minute alone.

Comfortable in the bath, Olivia exhaled a slow, deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to relax a little longer but the water was too cold. She got out and pulled the plug before grabbing the big white towel from on the rack.

Once dry she wrapped the towel around her and headed out through the empty living room toward her bedrooom. Hearing her son's cries, she stopped.

The screams tearing at her heart. She wanted to walk in there, hold him and soothe him but that's what she'd been doing for most of the last three days and it hadn't work, maybe Angie could soothe him.

Reluctantly, she tore herself away from the nursery and went in to the master bedroom to get dressed.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks to Iwannahamberger2. Here is the next chapter. For more please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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The new school year had officially began and Olivia was trying her hardest to take care of her infant son and keep up with her school work. Angie had decided that it was time that Olivia learned how hard it was going to be to get to her career goal now that she was a young mother in her last year of high school.

The alarm clock blared at seven AM sharp, signalling a new school day and Olivia has to be ready by 8:50AM when Angie came to pick her up to take her to the house.

With a groan, Olivia slammed her hand down on the alarm, effectively shutting it up and got up to attend to her son first. To get ready in time, she'd made a routine and she had to stick to it every morning otherwise she'd be so late.

With a tired smile, Olivia walked up to the crib and found her son kicking happily, looking up at his mobile. Upon catching sight of his mommy, Zachary smiled and Olivia picked him up.

"Good morning, kiddo. Breakfast time," she said softly and took a seat in the rocking chair.

She moved her top and guided her son to her breast, who made quick work of filling his tiny belly.

With Zachary fed and changed, Olivia headed in to the living room, where she put him in his rocker and carried him in it in to the bathroom, so she could have a shower.

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It was just after eleven and Olivia was working on her math work when Zac started to cry. "Angie!"

"Pick him up yourself, Olivia! You're his mother!" Angie called back from upstairs. "You have to learn to take care of your son and keep up with your school work!"

With a groan, Olivia threw down her pencil and got up, heading over to the bassinet.

Inside, Zachary's eyes were shut as his tongue vibrated emitting the sound and his tiny fists were clenched as he waved them around angrily.

Sighing, she picked Zachary up and craddled him to her as he headed to the couch. She knew that her son was hungry.

With Zac eating, Olivia sighed, rubbing his chubby arm left bare from the short sleeved onesie, he was wearing. It was white with blue trains on it. "Once mommy has finished feeding and changing you. You can lay on your blanket and play with your dangling toys but you have to be quiet so mommy can do her school work," she whispered, only to be startled by the house phone and Angie running through the living room to answer it.

Exhausted, Olivia let her eyes droop shut as her son continued to suckle slowly, nearly finished his meal.

"Liv."

Startled, Olivia's eyes snapped open to see her mother-in-law standing in the kitchen/ living room doorway. "Yes?" she asked, lifting Zac up to her shoulder and moved her top and bra back down.

"The phone's for you, honey," she whispered with a smile.

Furrowing her brows in confusion as to who would be calling for her, Olivia got up and walked toward the kitchen. "Who?"

"Pass me Zachy to burp, answer the phone and you'll see, honey."

Olivia nodded cautiously, passed Zachary to her and headed in to the kitchen. Nervously, she picked up the reciever. "Hello?"

"Hi baby," a sweet, gentle voice came through.

Gasping in a happy shock, Olivia practically squealed, excitedly. "El!"

"Yes, beautiful, it's me. I'm so glad to hear your sweet, beautiful voice. I miss you so much, baby, so much. How are you? How's our handsome little guy?"

"I'm better now, hearing your voice, El, and Zac is growing quickly, looking more like you each and every single day but with my eyes. He's started smiling too, El, and cooing. I've been taking lots of photos for you," she told her husband, the entire time smiling.

"Aww," Elliot breathed, trying to hold back tears. He missed his family so much. "I'll be looking forward to seeing those photos, baby. I have to go now. I love you, beautiful. I love Zac too, give him a kiss for me."

"I love you too, baby. I will give Zac a kiss for you and I'll be waiting impatiently for your next call."

"And I'll be impatiently waiting to hear your voice again. Bye, baby."

"Bye honey," Olivia replied and hung up. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and a sob involuntarily escaped from deep within her throat.

She leaned against the kitchen counter and with her head down, she let the tears come. She wanted her husband. For her. For her son. It was Zachary's first year and Elliot was already missing out on some of their son's firsts. Elliot had already missed Zac's first smile and giggle.

Hearing her daughter-in-law's painful sobs, Angie entered the kitchen to see Olivia hunched over the counter, shoulders bouncing with each sharp painful breath.

"It's okay, Liv, let it all out," Angie soothed, wrapping an arm around Olivia.

In response, Olivia turned around and fell in to Angie's embrace, starting to sob in to her shoulder.

Angie wrapped her arms around Olivia and started to rub her back. "That's it, honey, let it all out. You've been bottling it up for way too long."

"I want him home... Where he belongs," she sobbed, "he's missing out on our son's first year."

Continuing to rub Olivia's back, Angie kissed the crown of her head. "I know, sweetie, I know. I totally agree."

"Why?.." she cried, "why did he have to go?"

"He signed up before Zac was born, remember? Once he was called he had to go, Liv. Hopefully he can home before Zac's first birthday," Angie tired to assure her. But it didn't work.

Suddenly, Olivia exhaled a deep breath and gently pulled back.

"Liv?" Angie asked, furrowing her brows, not knowing what to expect next.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia shook her head, wiping away her tears. "I have to get back to my math work," she whispered and headed back in to the living room.

Angie sighed as she watched Olivia head over to the bassinet first and leaned in to give Zachary a kiss on the forehead as he kicked at the dangling toys.

"Having fun, buddy?" Olivia asked in a whisper, rubbing his tiny, chubby belly. "Mommy has to work on her school work, okay, buddy?"

She pried herself away from her son and sat down on the floor at the coffee table, where her work still sat. With a sniffle, she held back her tears and went back to her work before Angie had to make her move on to the next subject, which was psychology..

In silence, Angie continued to watch Olivia and sighed again. Hearing Olivia on the phone talking to Elliot, was the happiest she had heard her since before Elliot left.

Glad that Elliot had given her an address to send mail that he could receive, Angie ran a hand through her long dark brown hair and decided that she would make a start on a letter but first she would make sure Olivia was okay to work on her math for a bit longer.

Squatting down beside her daughter-in-law, Angie rubbed Olivia's arm. "Need any help, sweetie?"

Looking over the sheet, Olivia pointed to a question near the bottom of it. "Ah, I don't really understand this one."

"Okay, let's see. The best way to explain it..."

Once Olivia got the hang of it, Angie left her and headed upstairs to make a start on the letter to Elliot.

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Olivia had just finished her math work when Zac started to scream from the bassinet again.

Approaching the bassinet, Olivia saw her son waving angry fists as his tongue vibrating emitting the shrill sound. "Okay, kiddo. Mommy's got you," she cooed, picking Zac up. "Ooh someone needs a diaper change." She noticed the smell the moment she lifted him up.

After changing him, Zachary still wouldn't settle. Olivia had been trying to get Zac to stop crying for about thirty minutes now. She had given him a bottle, pacifier, rattle, and some more chew toys which he immediately dismissed one by one. She check his diaper and there was nothing there. She tried cooing and shushing but nothing was working.

Olivia held him face leveled which forced him to have to look at her. Tears stained his face and his now pinkish red button nose. She kissed his poked out lips to see if that would calm him down but it didn't. But alas it didn't help. When all else failed Olivia thought she would just join him. Olivia let out a mimicked wail as similar to Zac's as she could. As soon as she started to fake cry Zac silenced and began looking at her with a curious frown. Olivia stopped when she saw he had noticed she was "crying" with him. When she stopped she just looked at his expressions with a soft smile on her face. Zac just looked at her for second more before he began crying again. Olivia mimicked him again and caused him to stop crying and look at her strangely. Just as he was about to open his mouth again to let out a wail Olivia beat him to it and Zac just watch her. After wailing for about three seconds Zac stared at his mother and let out the cutest most hilarious laugh she had ever heard. It caused her to fall back laughing with Zac landing softly against her chest. After they laughed together Olivia gave Zac three raspberry kisses in exchange for one large slobber kiss he planted on her nose. After their little playtime the two fell asleep right there in the middle of the floor.

Angie remerged from upstairs when she finished the letter and found Olivia and Zac still sound asleep on the floor and she wanted nothing more then to just let them be but Olivia needed to finish her school.

She picked Zac up very gently and placed him in the bassinet without waking him before turning to Olivia.

"Wake up, Liv," she whispered, rubbing Olivia's shoulder.

Startled Olivia shot up. "Zac..."

"He's okay. Sound asleep in his bassinet. You did a good job getting him back to sleep but we need to move on with your work....You're falling behind in the work and to pass your exams, you need to get your work done quicker," she explained, softly.

Tears started to well up in Olivia's exhausted mocha brown eyes. "I... I can't keep up. It's too hard with Zac. I can't do it," she whispered.

Rubbing Olivia's upper arm again, Angie said, "I know you might think I don't care sometimes, honey, but you have to learn how to take care of Zac and keep up with your school work. Got to learn to multi task and be organized. Put him in his seat, so he can kick his toys and work at the same time. Do a few questions, rub his legs, pull some faces, make him giggle, do a few more questions and repeat. And while he's asleep work straight through."

Olivia nodded and rubbed her sore eyes from lack of sleep. "Okay," she replied and went back over to the coffee table, back to her work.

"Okay, Liv, time to move on to psychology."

Angie explained everything and left Olivia to work on the sheet, only to reutrn an hour later to check up on her.

She walked back in to the living room to find Olivia sound asleep again. Her head and arms on the coffe table as she lightly snored.

She sighed and headed over. "Hi handsome, your mommy fell asleep," she whispered to Zac.

Picking him up, Angie kissed his forehead and placed him on the blanket on the floor to play with some toys before kneeling beside Olivia.

"Liv, wake up, honey. It's time for lunch," she spoke softly, gently easing her daughter-in-law awake.

Startled, Olivia jumped. She lifted up her head and her eyes snapped open. "Oh crap! I... I didn't mean to fall asleep again," she apologized.

Rubbing Olivia's arm, Angie said, "It's okay, Liv. Is Zacy keeping you up?"

Exhaling an exhausted, shaky breath, Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she whispered.

"Okay, come have some lunch."

Sitting at the table eating, Angie watched Olivia closely and licked her bottom lip in thought. Olivia was more exhausted then what she had been before Elliot left. Olivia was struggling. "Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you and Zac here tonight."

"Angie..."

"No honey. You and Zacy are sleeping here tonight and I'll handle him when he cries during the night. Just make sure you have a few bottles of pumped milk for him, okay?"

Olivia nodded with a thankful smile. "Thank you. I could really use the sleep."

Rubbing the back of Olivia's hand, Angie nodded. "Yeah, you do and you also need to keep up with your school work. So eat up, then get back to it. I'll look after Zacy unless you need to feed him."

"Thank you, Angie. So much."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry for the time jump but I didn't want it to seem like it was dragging on. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Zachary was now seven months old and it was Olivia's eighteenth birthday. Missing Elliot so much, she was still struggling. Her husband would be nineteen now and they hadn't even been able to celebrate it.

Sitting on the carpeted floor of Elliot's old bedroom, Olivia smiled at her baby boy, who had just very recently started to crawl.

"Crawl to mommy, Zac," she cooed to him and patted the spot of floor in front of her.

Giggling when she heard his mommy's voice, Zachary rocked back and forth on his hands and knees before changing direction and crawling to her.

Once Zac reached her, Olivia soothed back his dark brown hair. "Hi kiddo," she whispered and covered her eyes. "Where's Zac? Where did my Zacy go?" she laughed. A big smile on her face. Her son always brightened her day.

With a giggle, Zachary sat down on his diapered bottom in between his mommy's out stretched legs. "Oooohhhh," he babbled.

"Peek-a-boo!" Olivia laughed, uncovering her eyes, "There's my Zacy boy."

Zac was always up for a game of peek-a-boo, he always got a kick out of it. "Ah!" he responded and giggled again, pointing at her.

"Yeah, mommy can see you, baby," she laughed and laid him down on the floor. She then lifted up his little top and blew a raspberry on his belly, causing him to giggle loudly. "You like that, huh?" she asked and blew another raspberry.

Zac was having so much fun. He started to kick his chubby legs wildly as he continued to laugh while his mommy blew a couple more raspberries on his belly. "Ah!" he exclaimed, happily.

"You really like that, don't you?" Smiling, she picked him up and gave him a cuddle, inhaling the calming scent of baby powder mixed with baby shampoo.

Zachary happily snuggled in to Olivia with a content sigh. He was always up for cuddles with his mommy at anytime. Sometimes Olivia had even felt lonely in the middle of the night, missing Elliot and she would go in to the nursery, where she would pick a sleeping Zac out of his crib and sit in the rocking chair for a cuddle. In his sleep, Zachary would always cuddle in to her with a sigh. He always picked his mommy over everyone, a true mama's boy.

"My sweet Zacy boy," Olivia whispered, rubbing his tiny back. "There's no better way to spend my eighteenth birthday then with my handsome baby boy. Although daddy being here would make it a little better, wouldn't he?" she confessed and kissed his head. "Woah! Someone needs a diaper change." She crinkled up her nose and stood up.

Zachary started to cry as Olivia laid him down on the bed, grabbing the diaper bag. He started to fight against her.

"Hey, hey, you want a clean bottom, don't you?" she asked, undoing his diaper.

Zachary just continued to cry and kick his legs.

"Zac, calm down, buddy." She cleaned him, slipped a clean diaper under him and went to do it up when he decided to let a perfect stream of urine hit his mommy. "I know you, handsome, why do you think I lay you sideways," she said, shaking her head, as the urine hit her arm. She groaned and slip another fresh diaper under him when he finished before taping it up quickly. "Aunt Casey and Aunt Alex will be here soon, so I think we better start making an attempt to get ready, huh?"

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Spreading the icing on Olivia's birthday cake as Emily sorted out the rest of the party type food, Angie sighed sadly.

"What's wrong, mom?" she asked, hearing the sigh.

"It's Liv's eighteenth birthday and she's absolutely refusing to come out of that bedroom. She won't even let anyone touch Zachary. I'm very worried about her," she admitted to her sixteen year old daughter.

"Have you even heard from Elliot lately?" Emily asked, emptying a bag of candy in to a plastic bowl.

Angie shook her head as she started to write, 'Happy birthday, Olivia', in cream on the top of the chocolate cake. "No, not for about month."

"I hope that he's okay," Emily replied and grabbed out a bowl for a packet of chips.

"I'm sure that he is, baby. We have to keep positive about this type of thing, okay?"

Emilee nodded. "Yeah, of course," she whispered before being startled by the chime of the door bell. "That'll be Casey and Alex," she said and headed for the door, to let them in.

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Sitting on the floor with Zachary again, Olivia looked down and smiled when she noticed that he had fallen asleep in the comfort of her arms. His little head resting on her breast.

"Come in," she whispered, hearing a soft tap on the bedroom door.

The door opened to reveal her two best friends.

"Hey," she whispered with a small smile. "Zac's asleep."

"Hi," Casey greeted her and sat down beside her.

"Hey," Alex whispered and sat down on Olivia's other side, "happy birthday."

"Yeah, happy birthday. Your presents are in the living room."

Olivia nodded. "Thank you."

"You don't soound too thrilled," Casey observed, rubbing Zac's small arm.

"I miss Elliot, so I don't feel much like celebrating," she admitted softly.

"He'll call you if he can, you know that, Liv," Alex told her gently.

Shaking her head, Olivia said, "I love the phone calls from him, don't get me wrong but it's just... It's just not the same. I want to hold him, kiss him, feel his body next to mine in bed. I'm sick of sleeping alone."

"We don't blame you, Liv," Casey reassured him.

Olivia sighed and kissed Zachary's head. She didn't feel very social today either. She just wanted her husband.

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Watching her mom move like a robot getting everything ready, Emily was startled by the door bell ringing again. "You expecting anyone else today, mom?" she asked, confused.

Angie shook her head. "No, only Casey and Alex."

Emily opened the door and gasped in shock. Elliot stood at the front porch in his uniform. "Elliot?"

"Hey Em," he greeted her with a tight hug. "Where are Olivia and Zachary? They weren't at the apartment."

Before Emily could reply, Angie appeared and almost dropped in shock. "El..."

"Yes, mom, I'm really home," he said and gave her a tight hug as well. "I missed you so much. Where are Liv and Zac?"

Still in shock, she pointed upstairs. "Up... Up in your old room with Casey and Alex."

Nodding, Elliot dumped his bag in the foyer and ran up the stairs. He had to see his wife and son.

Nervously Elliot lifted up a closed fist and knocked on the door.

"I'm not coming downstairs, Angie. I still need some more time," he heard Olivia's voice flow through the door. He could hear the sadness in her voice, the pain.

He opened the door gently and smiled at his wife and son.

Olivia looked up at him, blinking to see if he was really here. "El?" she gasped in shock.

"Yes, baby, it's me. I'm home," he spoke softly as he approached.

In an instant, Alex and Casey were up and out of the room, not wanting to disturb this happy reunion.

"Oh my God, El, I've missed you so much," she whispered as silent happy tears cascaded down her face.

Elliot sat down beside her, his knee touching hers. "Wow, he's gotten so big," he observed, rubbing his son's foot, covered in a small blue sock.

"Yes, he has. You want to hold him?"

"Oh God, yes please," he whispered and opened his arms for his son.

Very gently, Olivia handed Zachary over to his father, who had not seen him since he was about a week old, besides in photos.

Holding his son, Elliot was smiling as he marvelled his son's presence.

Zac had his mother's olive skin, her nose and still had her brown eyes, they hadn't changed, and he had Elliot's lips and ears.

"He's so beautiful, Liv. I've missed you both so much," he whispered and wrapped an arm around his wife as he continued to hold Zac in his other hand, his little bottom rested on his lap.

"We missed you too, El," she whispered and rested her head against his.

Zac opened his eyes with a yawn and looked around. He couldn't see his mom at first, so he started to fuss.

"It's okay, kiddo. Mommy's right here. Daddy is holding you."

Zac smiled at his mommy and looked back up at his daddy. He must've remembered him and/or felt comfortable because he smiled up at him and kicked his legs in joy. "Ooohhhh!"

"Hi son. It's so good to be holding you right now, I've missed you. You've gotten so big and I hope that you've been a good boy for mommy while daddy was away," he spoke softly to the infant before placing a light kiss on his forehead.

"He started to crawl just a few days ago," Olivia informed him.

"Really?"

Olivia nodded. "Put him on the floor and let him show you," she suggested.

Elliot put him on the floor and in response Zac fussed at first but then picked himself up on to his hands and knees and started to crawl around the room, happily.

Elliot could not take his eyes off his son. "Zac..."

At the sound of his name, Zac turned around and giggled, happy that the attention was all on him.

"Crawl to mommy and daddy."

Zachary crawled over to his parents and sat down in front of his mommy.

"Hi Zacy boy," she cooed and kissed his head. "Don't you want to sit with daddy? Mommy will be right here," she gently told him and sat him on her and Elliot's legs, where they touched.

Zac clapped happily, thrilled that he was getting his parents' attention but he then suddenly started to fuss.

"You hungry, lil man?" Olivia asked as Zachary snuggled in to her. "Let's head downstairs. El, you need to see your mom and Emily, you must've only seen them quickly."

Standing up, Elliot nodded and helped her up with Zac. "Yeah, I did but I wanted to see you and Zac first. And, baby, it's your birthday, you don't want to be in here all day," he said and guided her down the stairs toward the kitchen, where everyone was talking.

All four of the kitchen's occupants stopped in an instant, seeing Elliot and Olivia walk in. Olivia still holding Zac, who was still fussing.

"What?" Olivia asked as she sat Zac in his high chair. "El, could you please go in to the cupboard an grab out a jar of mashed lamb and vegetables?"

"Sure, Liv," he replied as she turned to face the four silent ones. "What's going on?"

No-one was answering, so she turned to the top of a cupboard and grabbed a bib. "Fine, don't tell me," she muttered before fighting against a wriggling Zac to put on his bib. "Come on, kiddo, you need this on to eat, you know that." She finally got it on him when Elliot passed her the jar of baby food, a bowl and a plastic spoon. "Thanks, babe," she said, taking them and sat down on a chair, next to the high chair.

"Liv..." Casey spoke up, just as Olivia opened the jar.

Sighing, Olivia contind to put the spoon in to the jar to start scooping some in to the bowl. "What?" she asked, continuing what she was doing.

"It's your birthday and you're acting like it's a normal day," Casey replied and the other three agreed.

"Here comes the airplane," Olivia cooed, flying around the spoon and gently slipped it in to Zac's mouth, who was giggling.

"Mmm," Zachary smiled, eating it happily.

"Liv..." Angie spoke up this time.

"Just cause I'm feeding my son?" she asked and fed Zac another spoonful.

"Liv..."

Shaking her head, Olivia muttered, "Please don't start, El."

Nodding, Elliot kissed her cheek. "Okay then, I'm going for a shower."

Olivia watched Elliot go before turning to Angie, "Could you please finish feeding him? I..."

Gently taking the bowl and spoon, Angie said, "Go, go, honey. Go be with El."

"Thanks," Olivia replied, gratefully, and rushed up the stairs.

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Not bothering to knock, Olivia opened it and shut it behind her to see her husband naked and about to step in to the shower.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "You going to join me?"

"Oh yes," she purred and quickly stripped out of her dress.

Elliot stepped in to the shower and took her hand, helping her in. "Come on in. There's plenty of room of a very sexy woman in here."

Blushing, Olivia stood in front of him, facing him, letting the hot water massage her back.

"I've missed you so damn much," Elliot said, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his forehead against hers. "Wow, you've got your pre-baby body back."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Olivia kissed him on the lips. "Yeah, I have. I worked out that I can still jog and have Zac with me. I put him in the stroller and jog. He usually sleeps through most of it," she explained.

"That's good," he replied and nuzzled noses with her.

"We can't make love in here. It's your mom's house."

"I know, beautiful. Wasn't planning on it, just want to hold you right now," he told her softly before starting a hot, passionate, toe-curling kiss.

"We'll make love tonight because I need and want you so bad," she purred as they parted for oxygen.

"All night long, my love, all night long," he laughed and kissed her nose.

"Welcome home, El," Olivia said, starting to sway back and forth with him under the stream of water.

"Glad to be home."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more. I'm not a doctor so I could have some medical things wrong and I'm sorry if I do but it's just a story.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac, the doctor and nurse.**

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Laying awake in bed in the early hours of the next morning in her husband's warm, comforting embrace, Olivia had to turn over to face him to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. She wouldn't be about to bare it if it was just her mind playing tricks on her, that he wasn't really home.

Olivia slowly reached up and softly caressed his cheek.

In response, Elliot moaned softly and opened his eyes a little, smiling at his wife, despite how tired he was, since he'd only fallen asleep like thirty minutes before. "Hi, honey, yes, I'm really home," he whispered, guessing what she was doing.

"I just had to make sure," she whispered back, "I couldn't bare it if you weren't home yet."

Elliot kissed her nose. "We made love three times just hours ago, Liv, remember? I'm really here."

Nodding, Olivia buried her head in to Elliot's bare chest.

"It's three AM, what are you doing awake anyway?"

"I don't know. I just had to make sure that you were really home. Zac will wake up anytime now to be fed, so I'll have to get up and nurse him."

"You still nurse?"

Olivia nodded. "For his three in the morning feed, I do, and usually before he goes to sleep. I don't know why but he always wakes at three and his bedtime and three AM feeds, he will only accept it if I nurse him. He won't take a bottle, I already tried," she explained.

Caressing her cheek, Elliot said, "You don't need to explain, beautiful. Was just asking. Let's make love then before he wakes up," he suggested before gently laying her on her back and straddling her. Both still naked from their previous encounters.

Leaning over to the nightstand, Elliot made sure to graze her nipple, causing Olivia to moan at the dual sensation of him grazing her nipple and erection grazing her lower abdomen, which was already formed from his sexy dream.

"Stop teasing me and just turn on the light already, would you? I've been waiting for you for the last half an hour," she scolded him, breathlessly with arousal.

"Oh really?" Elliot teased, conveniently letting his erection graze her lower abdomen again as he moved back, once the lamp was turned on.

Groaning, Olivia reached down and grabbed a hold of his member, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Elliot panted and grumbled, "Liv... Liv, don't. Otherwise I'll lose it right now."

Letting him go, Olivia planted a kiss on his lips. "Hurry up, El, before Zac wakes up."

In an instant, Elliot nodded and quickly lined his shaft at her entrance. "Ready?" he asked. His voice soft and full of lust.

In repsonse, Olivia wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed him in to her. "Oh God," she panted, trying to control herself before lost it herself.

Elliot panted as well, trying to regain his own control before he post it right there and then himself. "I"ll take that as a heck yeah," he groaned, resting deep within her and resting her forehead against hers.

Nuzzling noses with Elliot, she whispered, "Please move."

Elliot kissed her on the lips and started to thrust in and out, slowly at first but gradually picked up the pace with Olivia meeting him with each and every thrust.

"Oh God," Olivia moaned and involuntarily arched her back. "Faster!"

Upon request, Elliot moved in and out faster before lifting up one of her legs, resting it on his shoulder, leg bent at the knee.

Olivia gasped at the new sensation. "Fuck," she muttered, feeling her orgasm coming quickly as he raised her other leg as well.

Feeling his wife's inner walls clench his shaft tightly, Elliot groaned and rested his forehead against hers again. "Let go, bab--"

Zac's crying from the nursery startled them and caused them both to groan. They had gotten so close, only to have to stop.

"Your son has crappy timing," Olivia joked and whimpered at the lose of contact when Elliot rolled off of her. "I better go feed him."

"We have plenty of time to make love, Liv. It's okay," he asurred her, sitting up.

Nodding, Olivia got up and quickly slipped in to a pair of panties and one of Elliot's tees before heading toward the nursery.

If she didn't get in there quickly, Zachary's screeching would only increase in volume.

"Hi Zacy boy," she whispered, reaching in to the crib and picking Zac up. She quickly moved her t-shirt out of the way and laid him in her arms. Zac then made quick work of nuzzling around, sleepily. Finding what he was looking for he latched on and started to eat, not even bothered that his mommy was still standing up.

"Wow, someone's hungry," she whispered, rubbing his arm as she headed back in to the master bedroom. "Let's go sit on mommy and daddy's bed, huh?" she cooed, sitting down on said bed.

She could hear the shower running so she guessed that Elliot was in there, finishing the job. When she heard a loud grunt followed by a moan of relief, she knew her assumption was correct.

Looking down at her still nursing son, Olivia reached down and kissed his forehead. "You need to work on your timing, son... Oh no, El!"

Elliot came running in, in just his towel, as Zachary released Olivia's nipple and started to wail. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Feel his forehead. He feels a little warm to me," she whispered concerned, rubbing Zac's back, trying to calm him down. He finally burped once he calmed down.

Elliot put his hand on their son's forehead and shook his head. "Nah, he's okay, Liv."

Olivia nodded, gently rocking Zac. "I'm just going to change him and put him back down then," she said and got up, heading back in to the nursery.

As soon as Olivia removed his diaper, Zac decided it was the best time to go, causing his mother to groan. "Oh Zac, you've got poop all on the change table now." She made quick work of cleaning it up before changing him quickly before he decided to work on a repeat.

Buttoning up Zac's pajamas, Olivia gently picked him up and kissed him on the forehead. "You've got a full belly, clean bum and now it's time to sleep, my sweet baby boy," she cooed and laid him back down in his crib. She rubbed his chubby belly and kissed him on the forehead again. "Sleep sweet. Love you," she whispered and went to wash her hands before heading back to bed with Elliot.

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Olivia has just started to let sleep take over when Zachary started to wail again from the nursery. With a sigh, she gently extraced herself from her husband's arms and headed back in to the nursery.

"What's wrong, Zachary?" Olivia cooed, picking him up and craddling him close to her.

Feeling how warm he was against her, she laid him on the change table and took off his pajamas, leaving him in just his diaper before rushing back in to the bedroom with him as he continued to wail unhappily.

"El!"

Startled, Elliot shot up in bed. "What's wrong now, Liv?"

"He's burning up, El, I told you!" she cried, lifting Zac up to her shoulder and started to rub his back, in an attempt to calm him down.

Elliot jumped out of the bed and grabbed some clothes. "I'll get dressed and then I'll hold him while you get dressed," he said and started said action.

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Racing to the hospital, Olivia sat in the backseat with Zac, trying to comfort him as much as possible as he wailed unhappily, in his car seat, while Elliot drove.

"How's he going back there besides the wailing?" he asked over the baby's screaming.

"He feels a little warmer," Olivia panicked with her hand checking Zac's forehead and cheek.

Zac reached up to her as he continued to tell her that he was unwell and Olivia gasped.

"El! I think he's got Chicken Pox," she alerted him as they pulled up at the emergency department.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, taking off his seat belt and taking the key out of the ignition.

"Red spots on the under sides of his arms," she replied as she undone her seatbelt and went to unbuckle her son from his car seat.

"Shit," Elliot muttered.  
In an instant, he was out of the car and opened the back seat for his wife. "Give me your hand, baby. It might be just the Chicken Pox but it's better if we make sure."

Olivia gave Elliot her hand and he helped her out of the car with Zachary in her other arm, his little head on her shoulder. "Come on, Zacy boy, let's get you feeling better," she spoke softly and kissed his head as Elliot locked up the car.

With the car locked up, Elliot took Olivia's hand in his again and they walked in to the emergency department.

"Our seven month old son has got a fever and has red rashes on his arms," Elliot told the middle ages female nurse standing behind the receptionist desk.

"If it was my grandchild, I'd want someone to take them in straight away," she said with a kind, caring smile. "Come with me and I'll get the pediatrician on call for you," she said and guided them to an exam room. "I'll be back with the doctor in a couple of minutes. Take a seat on the bed there," she said and quickly left.

Olivia took a seat on the bed and started to rub Zac's back. "Oh, it's okay, sweet boy. We'll get you feeling better," she crooned to her still fussy son.

Sitting in the chair beside the bed, Elliot put his hand on Olivia's thigh and rubbed it. "I'm sorry, honey, he must've been hot when you thought he was. I wasn't thinking at the time that I'd just gotten out of the shower and so I mis-interrupted the heat that I was feeling, thinking it was normal body tempeture."

Kissing Zac's head and laying him down in her arms, Olivia gently eased her hand out from under the infant's diapered bottom and put her hand on Elliot's. "It's okay, we're both still learning here. The first fever he had, when he was three months old, your mom was the one who noticed first.

"Really? What was wrong?" he asked, holding back his tears at the thought of how much he'd already missed out on his son's life.

Caressing the back of Elliot's hand with the pad of her thumb, she answered, "He had an ear infection."

Elliot nodded just as the door to the small exam room opened and a tall, gray haired man in a white doctor's coat and a pair of green scrubs underneath walked in. A polite smile on his face and a new chart in hand.

"Hi, I'm Dr Field. Nurse Harrington here told me that this handsome little guy here..." he said, caressing Zac's warm cheek, "is running a fever and has red rashes on his arms."

Olivia nodded. "Yes, he's seven months."

Dr Field grabbed a thermometor and checked Zac's temperture. "He feels warm... And yes, he's got a fever of 100.9. Let's have a look at these rashes, huh?"

Nodding, Olivia gently lifted up Zac's left arm. "Is it Chicken Pox?"

"Yes, indeed it is. Oops, we need to fill out this form here. Sorry, it's been a busy night."

"It's alright. Just ask what you need to," Elliot replied.

Turning to the nurse, the doctor said, "Could you please grab an ice pack, so we can try bring down this little one's fever?"

The nurse left straight away and the doctor turned back to Olivia and Elliot. "What's this little guy's full name?"

"Zachary Isaiah Stabler," Elliot replied.

"Is it okay if I walk around the room and try rock him to sleep?" Olivia asked.

"Sure, Mrs Stabler, go right ahead," the doctor replied and turned back to Elliot.

Olivia slid off the bed and started to pace around the room with Zac, rubbing his back, gently bouncing him and humming.

"Mr Stabler, Zachary's date of birth?"

"He was born in this hospital on the twenty fourth of July last year."

Jotting down the information, the doctor said, "I'll get his file brought down. Has he been admitted down here before?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes, when he was three months old. He had a fever. The doctor diagnosed an ear infection in his left ear," she answered, sitting back down.

"Here, doctor," Nurse Harrington said, passing an ice pack to him, wrapped in an towel.

"Thank you," he replied and put it on Zac's feet. "Could you bring Zachary Isaiah Stabler's file down?"

"Yes, doctor," she said and rushed off again.

The doctor went back to asking questions.

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It took six hours but they finally managed to walk in to their apartment with a sleeping Zachary in Olivia's arms. He was diagnosed with Chicken Pox and Olivia and Elliot have been warned if he's temperture rose again to give him a cool bath and that they wouldn't be getting much sleep for the next few days at the least.

Olivia was so glad that Elliot wasn't expected back at work for a month.

It was now nearing ten thirty AM and both young parents were exhausted.

Locking the apartment door, Elliot gave Olivia a kiss on the lips. "Why don't you put Zac down while he's sleeping and I'll meet you in bed, angel?"

"I'm too tired to make love, El," she yawned.

Elliot chuckled lightly and rubbed Zac's head. "To sleep, Liv. I'm just going to call my mom, okay?"

Yawning again, Olivia nodded. "Okay. But I can't promise that I'll still be awake."

"That's okay, I'll still climb in and hold you. I'll be there soon," he told her and watched her tiredly walk toward the bedrooms.

Heading to bed after calling his mom, Elliot found Olivia curled up facing away from the door, sleeping. Elliot smiled. Olivia was snoring, she didn't snore often.

He toed off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers before slipping in the bed behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lightly kissed her neck, expecting to wake her but she didn't even flinch, she just continued to snore.

"I love you, Liv," he whispered and went to close his eyes only to be disturbed by Zachary deciding to let his parents know that he was awake again.

Elliot gently got up again and headed in to the nursery. "Hi Zac, daddy's here," he whispered, picking him up. "It's okay, son. You're okay." He frowned at the heat radiating off his tiny body. "I think someone needs a cool bath to cool him down again, huh?" he cooed and rubbed Zac's head, heading toward the bathroom.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. For more please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Waking alone in the bed about three hours later, Olivia shot up and instantly headed in to the nursery. Zachary hadn't woken her up to be fed or for attention.

Seeing the crib empty and the window open, Olivia began to panic even more. Her hand flew to her mouth as a painful sob escaped from deep within her throat.

"Elliot!" she called, rushing in to the living room.

When she found her husband sound asleep on the couch with their son asleep on his chest, suckling on a baby blue pacifier, she exhaled a deep, shaky breath in relief and headed over to the couch.

"Hi, baby," Olivia cooed, picking Zachary up.

Opening his little eyes, Zac started to fuss at being disturbed but stopped instantly and giggled upon catching sight of his mommy.

"Ma," he babbled and snuggled in to her contently.

"Are you hungry? I bet you are."

In response, Zac started to slap her breast through her shirt.

"You want mommy to nurse you, don't you? But I'm going to feed you some mashed apples and custard, okay? So you can try something different," she whispered and kissed his head.

Zac started to scream again, louder, and continued to slap Olivia's breast.

"Whoa! Someone's cranky.... I think we need to get some food in your belly," she whispered and started to sway with him, trying to quiet him down.

Feeling the absence of Zachary on his chest, Elliot shot up. "Liv!"

"It's okay, baby," she assured him, "I've got him. I'm just going in go feed him some mashed apples and custard. He hasn't eaten since last night, I'm worried about him, El. I know he doesn't feel well but he needs to eat."

Elliot got up and planted a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "You don't need to explain to everything to me, beautiful. I was just wondering where he was. As for him not eating, I fed him about two hours ago, well I tried. I heated up one of the bottles of breast milk sitting in the fridge... But he had maybe an ounce or two before he gave me the bottle back," he explained to her.

"Okay. When did you last put lotion on him? I can't smell any on him."

Looking at his watch, Elliot had to think for a moment before he answered her. "It would have been about two and a half hours ago. So he might want some more on after you feed him."

Zachary started to cry louder, hiccuping from crying so much. "Ma... Ooohhh!"

Olivia kissed his head and started to gently bounce him up and down in her arm. "Hang on, kiddo. Mommy will take you in to the kitchen and feed you in a minute," she soothed, rubbing his back.

"Go feed him, Liv. He's hungry. I'll get some take out for us. Do you want anything in particular? Your choice tonight," he offered.

Olivia shook her head. "Surprise me... Come on, kiddo," she said and headed in to the kitchen as Elliot left the apartment.

Olivia sat Zac in his high chair, got his bib on and got the food ready quickly but he wasn't having a bar of it.

He refused to open his mouth as he kicked his legs and tried to push his mother's hand away.

"Zachary Isaiah, you need to eat, young man. You haven't eaten since last night. Please eat," she pleaded with the infant.

Zac did not want what his mother was trying to feed him, he wanted milk. He wanted to snuggle in to her as she rocked and hummed softly to him. That was what he wanted, so he was going to make sure that was what he got.

"Come on, Zachary, please eat for mommy."

Zac still refused to open his mouth, causing Olivia to sigh.

"Okay, okay, let's do it your way," she groaned and headed in to the nursery.

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Entering the apartment with the take out in hand, Elliot was surprised to find it quiet.

"Liv?" he called out to her softly.

Upon getting no reply, Elliot placed the food on the kitchen counter and headed in to Zac's bedroom.

Smiling when he found Olivia had fallen asleep in the rocking chair with Zac. Elliot guessed that Zac had refused to eat the baby food, so Olivia had resorted to nursing him instead.

Zac had finished eating but he was still in the same position he'd been in as he ate, against Olivia's bare breast.

Elliot quickly grabbed the camera and took a quick snap shot before placing the camera on the chest of drawers.

"Come on," he whispered, picking Zac up, who started to fuss. "Oh, I know, buddy. Let's get some lotion on you to soothe the itching, huh?" He laid Zachary on the change table and quickly turned back to Olivia.

He quickly covered his wife up as she stirred in her sleep. "Honey, wake up," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.  
Olivia shot up, startled. "Oh hi."

"Hey, you fell asleep nursing Zac," he whispered and turned back to their son, who was fussing louder and getting very close to rolling off the change table.

Rubbing her sleepily eyes, Olivia stood up. "Sorry, El. I didn't mean to fall asleep. He refused to eat baby food, so I had to nurse him just so he would eat. He's really worrying me," she said, standing beside him as he rubbed the lotion on Zac to soothe the itching.

"It's fine, beautiful. He'll be fine, he's just cranky cause the Chicken Pox is making him itchy. I bought us a pizza, it's on the kitchen counter. Go eat, Zac and I will be in there shortly."

"You sure? I can wait for you."

Elliot leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sure. Go eat. We'll be in there shortly. I'm just going to finish putting this stuff on Zac and redress him, okay?"

Nodding, Olivia stroked back Zachary's hair. "Okay. But tonight you will be eating baby food, young man. You can't just have mommy's milk anymore. When you come in, you can lay him on his mat, El, and let him play," she laughed lightly before heading out, letting Elliot tend to their son, spending time with him.

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Pulling up the little pair of pants, Elliot then evened out the top and felt Zachary's forehead and cheek. "I think someone's fever had finally broken, huh? That's good isn't it? But you're still a bit cranky though, you need to work on that," he cooed, picking up his son.

Zachary giggled and reached up to his father.

Holding back a sob, Elliot kissed Zac's little open palm. "I missed you too, son, so much. I'm so glad to be home, holding you right now and being able to cuddle up with your mommy. So glad I'm home for good. Come on, let's go in the the living room with mommy."

Elliot walked in to the living room to find Olivia sitting on the couch, watching something on TV and working on her third slice of pizza. He laughed. "Hungry much, babe?"

Olivia laughed too as Elliot sat down beside her with Zac. "I was starving. You can put Zac on the floor, El... He'll play with his toys."

Elliot laughed and sat Zachary down on the floor in front of him.

As soon as his patted bottom hit the floor, Zac instantly pulled himself on to his hands and knees and crawled over to where a teddy bear had been left. He picked it up and cuddled it close.

Elliot and Olivia watched Zac play until he fell asleep.

"Well I'll put him down for a while but make sure he's up for dinner," Olivia said and picked Zac up.

Zac had stayed awake longer then they thought. He had been pretty content on just playing.

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It was now nearing eight in the evening and it was time for dinner, especially for Zachary, who hadn't eaten since lunch time since he kept refusing again.

"Come on, Zachary," she begged, trying to get him in the high chair.

"Liv, he doesn't want to sit in it. Why don't you try get him to eat on your lap or something," Elliot suggested from the kitchen doorway.

Sighing, Olivia sat down at the table with Zac sitting on her leg. "Could you please get me the jar of chicken and vegetables, a plastic bowl and spoon please," she asked, putting Zac's bib on him.

"Oooo!" Zac cried and squirmed. He didn't want it on.

Olivia finally managed to get it on as Elliot spooned the baby food in to a bowl.

The phone started to ring, startling the three of them. Elliot passed Olivia the bowl and spoon before heading over to the phone.

"Okay, Zacy. Here comes the airplane," she said in a funny voice, doing the arm movements which Zachary usually loved before slipping it in to his mouth.

In response, Zac scrunched up his eyes and spat it out.

Olivia sighed. "Zachary, please eat your food," she gently scolded her son. "You haven't eaten properly since yesterday."

Hanging up the phone with a smile, Elliot headed back over to Olivia. His smile grew even bigger, watching Olivia trying to feed Zachary, who kept spitting the food out.

"Ewww!" Olivia screeched, suddenly, before putting Zac in the high chair and rushing over to the sink, turning on the water.

The last bit of food that Zac spat out hit her in the face.

Elliot laughed and picked Zachary up. "Good shot, son."

"Screw you, Elliot," Olivia snapped and stormed off.

Sighing, Elliot tickled the infant in his arms and kissed his head. "You upset mommy, son. I'm going to put you in your playpen and go talk to mommy."

"Eeee," Zachary giggled and clapped his little hands together as his daddy sat him in his playpen, set up in the living room.

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Elliot knocked on the bedroom door and waited for an answer. He didn't get on so he turned the handle and was happy to find it unlocked.

He opened the door and found Olivia curled up on the bed, on her side, facing away from the door. Hearing a sniffle, Elliot sighed and sat down by her waist.

"I'm sorry, baby," he apologized, caressing her cheekbone. "I was only joking."

Olivia sniffled and slightly smiled. "It's okay... El, while you were away..."

"While I was away what?" he asked gently, brushing away her tears.

Olivia licked her lips, licking the tears running off her top lip, in the process. "I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression, El," she finally admitted, avoiding eye contact.

Nodding, Elliot gently sat her up. "Look at me, Liv. Don't be ashamed," he told her softly and kissed her nose. He waited for her to look at him before he continued. "Are you on Anti Depressants?"

Olivia sat on Elliot's lap and rested her head on his shoulder. "No because I'm still breast feeding Zac, so I can't," she whispered.

Elliot sighed and caressed her cheek, his arms wrapped around her, one hand under her top, resting on her bare, warm, stomach.

"Okay, honey, can you listen to me without snapping?"

Burying her head in to the curve of her husband's neck, Olivia nodded. "I'll try," she mumbled.

Elliot kissed her cheek and rubbed her belly. "I think we need to wean Zac off your milk and on to formula. I know you didn't want to quite yet but we need to get you on the meds and feeling better before it gets worse, okay?" he suggested, fully expecting her to snap.

She didn't. Instead, she nodded and put her hand over Elliot's on her abdomen, entwining her fingers with his. "Okay," she whispered in full agreement.

"Good, it's for you, Livia, we need you feeling better. Tomorrow and the next day, nurse him only two times, like you've been doing and then for the two days after that only once then none. He might not like it but we need to help you and he'll get used to it," he told her, stroking back her hair.

Olivia yawned and was about to fall asleep, only to hear something smash and Zac scream.

Elliot and Olivia jumped up and ran out in to the living room to find their son sitting in the playpen, crying and scratching his chicken pox.  
"Oh, baby boy," Olivia cooed and picked him up.

"Liv?" Elliot shook his head and pointed to something.

Zachary had thrown a teddy bear and knocked a glass off the coffee table. He had a hell of a throw. Both Olivia and Elliot were shocked that Zac had thrown it so far.

"Trying to get mommy and daddy's attention, were you?"

Zac nodded, like he understood what she was talking about and buried his head in to his mommy's neck, snuggling in to her.

"Liv, I can clean this up, why don't you go in to the nursery and rock him in the rocking chair?"

Olivia kissed Zachary's head. "Okay," she whispered and went to walk away but Zac started to cry and before she could react, Zac threw up all down her t-shirt.

She groaned at the warm, smelly, chunky substance running down her front as Zac screamed louder in her ear. "Oh, Zac, thanks a lot, son. Just what I always wanted to add to the list with how many times that you've peed on me."

Elliot reached for Zac and said, "Pass him here, hon."

Nodding, Olivia passed Zac to him. "I stink."

Elliot tried not to laugh at his wife. "Come have a shower and I'll bathe him in the bathroom sink. Come on," he said and led her in to the bathroom, the whole time holding back his laughter as to not accidentally upset her again. That was the last thing he needed right now.

Elliot filled the sink with lukewarm water before turning on the shower for Olivia, making sure it was just right for her as she undressed Zachary.

"Here you go," she whispered and passed the infant to his father.

Taking Zac, Elliot kissed Olivia on the lips. "Get undressed and in the shower. Once we get Zac to sleep, we can lay in bed, cuddling, naked. I think you need the contact. We both do."

Olivia said nothing and got undressed.

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It took three hours to get Zac to sleep but it only lasted half an hour before he woke up screaming.

With Elliot asleep behind her, Olivia slowly got up and quickly got dressed before practically stumbling in to the nursery.

"Hi grumpy," she whispered and picked him up. "Okay, I know you're not very happy and I wish you could tell me what's wrong... Mommy and daddy are so tired, buddy. Please go to sleep," she begged and sat down in the rocking chair with him.

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Elliot rolled over in his sleep and went to pull Olivia close, only to find her side of the bed empty. He guessed she was up with Zac, so didn't think much about it but was then startled by Zac wailing. His eyes shot open and he sprung up out of bed, rushing toward the nursery.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: This chapter is for bethsthings, edge15684, Sweet-4-Stabler, bunnykim89, Carrina.R, stevielicous, Iwannahanberger2 and PaceyW'sgirl**. **Thanks again for all your great reviews. Please read and review for more. The next chapter will be set when Zac is one... And something big is going to be happening.  
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**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Elliot rushed in to the nursery and found Olivia trying to nurse their son but he wouldn't latch on as he screamed. She was so tried and Zac having a temper tantrum was the last thing she needed right now.

Covering herself up again, Olivia started to cry. "His fever's back, El. Feel his forehead."

Elliot leaned down and did just that. "It is too. Why don't you try get in a cool bath with him and try nurse him in there, hon. See, if he'll eat, he's obviously hungry, he was supposed to eat a few hours ago and he didn't eat much earlier," Elliot suggested.

Olivia shook her head and passed Zachary to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I.. I can't. I need a break. I'm going for a jog," she cried and rushed out before Elliot could say anything to stop her.

Elliot sighed, patting Zachary's back. "Come on, son. We'll get you sorted out first and then we'll look for mommy."

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After bathing and dressing Zac, Elliot put him in the pouch and put it on his chest before heading down to the local playground, hoping Olivia had gone down there.

He sighed in relief when he finally found his wife. She was sitting on a swing, just rocking back and forth slightly, crying. "Liv?"

Hearing her husband call out for her, Olivia looked up and sniffled, wiping away her tears as he approached her.

"Come home, baby, it's going to start snowing soon," he whispered, squatting down in front of her. He caressed her cheek, being careful of Zac, who was fussing a little in the pouch.

Olivia leaned in to Elliot's caress. "Okay, I'm tired anyway," she whispered and got up. "Did you feed Zac?"

"He went to sleep and woke up as I got here, so I haven't had a chance to yet. Come on, let's head home."

As they walked home, Elliot had one hand on a fussy Zachary's back, the other on Olivia's lower back, as if he were guiding her home..

"I'm sorry for running off... I should not have done it..."

Elliot rubbed Olivia's back with his thumb. "It's okay, you're stressed and needed a break. Maybe we could see if my mom could take Zac for a few hours tomorrow, so we can have a break and spend some much missed time together," he suggested.

Nodding, Olivia leaned her head on his shoulder, as they walked at the same pace. "Yeah, that would be nice. Very nice," she smiled. "But you better buy condoms in bulk. Just don't tell your mom," she laughed.

"But you're on the pill, aren't you?"

Olivia shook her head. "Oh no and we made love three times last night," she realized. "I'm not ready for another baby just yet." She was freaking out.

"We'll talk about this properly in bed when we get Zac off to sleep, Liv," he suggested, rubbing her back.

Feeling a couple tears stream down her cheeks, Olivia quickly and discreetly wiped them away before Elliot could see them. The thought of another child already scared her, she was barely able to handle Zachary as it was, well in her mind, that was what she thought but Angie could easily disagree with that thought. Angie thought her daughter in law was handling young motherhood very well, even with everything that was happening.

"I saw those tears, Liv, it will be okay," he tried to assure his young wife.

"I hope so," she whispered back.

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As soon as they reached the steps of the apartment building, it started to snow very heavily. The snow storm was coming very quickly.

"Come on, it's freezing out here," Elliot said and guided Olivia inside, the whole time trying to protect Zachary from the falling snow.

They got in their apartment and Elliot locked the door behind them. He took Zac out of the pouch and passed him to Olivia. "Why don't you feed him and play with him for a little while?" he suggested.

Olivia took their son and kissed his head. "Come on, kiddo, let's get some food in your tiny belly, huh?" she cooed and headed in to the kitchen.

She sat Zachary in his high chair and went over to the cupboard for a jar of baby food. She grabbed Zachary's favourite, Beef and Vegetables. She then grabbed the other necessary items and got his bib on.

"Okay, kiddo, it's time you got some food in your belly," she said and tickled him, causing him to giggle happily despite feeling unwell.

Just giving Zac one more spoonful of the baby food, Olivia thought she was home safe. Mess free.

But Zachary decided different. "Eww!" he cried and spat it out.

"Lovely, Zac, thanks for that," she sighed and wiped him down despite his protests. "Oh calm down, you don't want to keep that food all over you," she laughed and picked hiim up. "Daddy can change you and then it's time for bed, young man. Mommy and daddy need to talk... El, you want to change him?"

Hearing his wife's voice, Elliot turned off the television and got up. "I'd love to," he siad and gently took their son. "Come on, son."

"I'll meet you in bed," Olivia told him, through a yawn.

Nodding, Elliot gave her a kiss on the lips. "You okay?"

Olivia smiled a small smile. "Yeah, hon. I'm fine. Thought you and Zac need some time alone to bond."

Smiling, Elliot gave Olivia another kiss. "Thank you. I'll meet you in bed," he replied and headed in to the nursery as Olivia went in to the master bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

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Elliot laid Zac down on the change table and tickled him.

Zac chuckled happily in response and reached up to him. "Ooohh!"

"You're a very happy little boy, aren't you? Mommy's done an awesome job of taking care of you while daddy was away," he murmured and leaned down, lifting Zac's small top to blow a raspberry on his belly.

Kicking his legs, wildly, Zac continued to laugh with joy.

"Boy, did I miss you? I'm so thankful I don't have to go back. Daddy is going to go to college instead," Elliot confided in the infant as he undressed him.

Just as Elliot took off Zac's soiled diaper, he was hit in the face with a perfect stream of urine. Zac giggle, finding it hilarious.

Elliot quickly covered Zac again and groaned. He wiped his face with an old, clean burp rag and shook his head. "Yea, you got me, son. You got me good. Mommy didn't warn me that you were still doing that. Bet she's having a good laugh at me right now, huh?"

Clapping his hands, Zachary blew a raspberry with his mouth.

"Oh, we have a cheeky one here, don't we?" Elliot laughed, quickly changing him before picking him up and laying him in his crib. "Sweet dreams, little man," Elliot whispered and winded up the mobile hanging above the crib.

Zachary smiled and closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from his very active day.

"Night Zac." Elliot turned off the overhead bedroom light and tip-toed out of the room before heading to the bathroom to quickly wash his face.

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Olivia had nearly fallen asleep by the time she felt the bed move and Elliot's arms wrap around her waist. "Hey, took you awhile."

"Yeah, you didn't tell me he was still peeing on you while you changed his diaper. He thought it was hilarious," he explained and kissed her bare shoulder blade. "Ooohh, you're nakey, I likey."

"Well you going to join me then?" she asked with a smile.

Elliot was up in an instant and quickly stripping out of his clothes.

"That was quick," Olivia laughed when Elliot slipped back in to bed behind her.

"Of course, beautiful. I love to lay like this with you," Elliot replied, wrapping his arms around her again. "You ready to talk now?"

Snuggling back in to her man, Olivia smiled when Elliot kissed her bare shoulder blade again before resting his chin there. "I'm sorry, El, I wasn't thinking the first three times that we made love, I just missed you so much."

Elliot gently turned Olivia on to her back and cupped her left cheek in his right hand. "It's okay. If we find out your pregnant, we'll work it out from there, if you aren't we'll just continue on, okay?"

Olivia smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Okay. Thank you."

"Did you pass your mid-terms?" Elliot asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, I did... Who was on the phone when Zac spat his food on me?"

Elliot had to think for a moment before he finally remembered. "Oh yeah. Captain Thomas called."

"Oh... What did he want?"

Before Elliot could answer the power went out, sending the room in to complete darkness. "Damn," he said and pulled a flashlight out of the nightstand. "I guess the snow storm has arrived in all its glory," he said and turned to the window. It was snowing very heavily in the dark street. The street lights were out too.

"I didn't know we were getting a snow storm."

"Mom called to let us know just before I went to go find you, so I know I had to find you quickly," he explained, caressing her cheekbone with his thumb. "The playground was the first place I looked and I was so relieved when I found you sitting on that swing."

"Well I'm glad you found me. Thank you."

"Of course. You're my wife, the mother of my son and I love you, of course I'd come for you. Always."

"Thank you. I love you too, El. So, you going to tell me what Captain Thomas wanted from you? Is it something bad?" Olivia asked concerned, using the light from the flashlight to look in to his beautiful blue eyes.

Shaking his head, Elliot planted a kiss on her nose and then the corner of her mouth. "Nope it's actually something good. Great actually."

Olivia smiled back. "Well spit it out then."

"He offered me some on the job training for the police academy after college and a part time job while I attend college."

"Oh my God, that's so great."

"Yes it is and I start in a month, so I can have some time to rest and spend time with you and Zac. Then from then until September I will work full time, just clerical work but it's money and training," he explained.

"That's so great, El, I'm so happy for you."

"See, baby, I told you that it would all work out still."

"Yes, you did and you've kept you're promise. Good night, love you."

Elliot turned off the flashlight and kissed her on the lips. "Love you. Sweet dreams."

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Two weeks later found, Olivia waking up slowly in her husband's arms and taking a quick glance at the clock.

"7:02... 7:02?" she muttered and shot up in bed upon coming to the realization that Zachary hadn't woken her up.

She was up out of bed in an instant and rushing in to the nursery.

Zachary was sitting in his crib, happily cuddling and playing with one of his soft toys. His Chicken Pox blisters has scabbed over and he was a happy little guy.

"Morning, Zacy boy," she greeted him, approaching the crib.

Hearing his mommy's voice, Zac looked up and giggled. "Ma!" he squealed happily, reaching up to her.

Olivia picked him up and kissed him on the cheek. "You slept through the night for the first time, kiddo. I'm very proud of you."

"Ma," Zac breathed and snuggled in to Olivia, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Let's change you, huh?" she said and laid him down on the change table to quickly change his diaper.

She changed him quickly and picked him up, allowing him to snuggle in to her again. "Breakfast time now, Zacy."

Olivia carried Zac in to the kitchen and found Elliot making a start on breakfast. "Morning, El," she greeted him with a kiss on the lips.

"Morning, beautiful," he replied and returned the kiss before placing a kiss on Zachary's head. "Morning, champ."

Zachary babbled happily and Olivia sat him in his high chair.

"You want pancakes?" Elliot asked, starting the batter.

"Oh yes, please," she replied and put Zachary's bib on him. "Could you please make a tiny one for Zac? I want to try him on something new."

"No problem," Elliot replied, making the batter for the pancakes.

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Cutting the small pancake in to little squares for Zac, Olivia laughed as he banged his hands impatiently on his high chair. "Hang on, Zac. Mommy will feed you in a minute."

Elliot sat opposite Olivia, cutting his own pancake and watching his wife and son laughing. Since Olivia had started on Anti-Depressants, Elliot had noticed the reduced amount of mood swings and that she seemed much happier with each passing day.

Olivia took her tablets by herself now and willingly showed Elliot that she was taking them voluntarily now.

"Now, Zac, let's see if you like pancakes, like mommy and daddy do. Here comes the airplane," she laughed and slipped the plastic spoon with a small square of pancake on it in to his mouth before taking the fork out and waiting to see his reaction to the new food.

Chewing the bit of pancake, Zachary pulled a funny face at first, causing both Olivia and Elliot to laugh, but then he smiled as he swallowed it. He opened his mouth again and clapped his hands.

"You want more, huh?" Olivia laughed and got another piece before repeating the same motion as before.

"Looks like we have another pancake lover in the family," Elliot laughed, watching Zachary happily eating.

Olivia nodded. "We sure do."

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With breakfast eaten and the kitchen finally cleaned up, Elliot headed in to the living room to be with his family.

Olivia was sitting on the couch with Zachary sitting on the floor in front of her, between her legs, freshly bathed and dressed in a pair of little navy blue sweats.

"Hey," Elliot said, giving her a kiss as he sat down beside her.

"Hi." Olivia smiled at him and turned her attention back to Zachary, she wanted to try something. "Zac."

Hearing his mother's voice, Zac turned around on his diapered bottom and looked up at her with a big, innocent grin.

Olivia gently took his tiny hands in hers and waited till his closed his hands around hers before she very gently pulled him up on to his little feet, covered with red booties knitted by his grammy.

Noticing something different, other then being on his hands and knees, Zac looked down at his feet and then back up at Olivia, smiling.

"We've got ourselves a smart one here, Liv," Elliot laughed.

Olivia laughed as well, causing Zac to giggle with them. "Okay, buddy," she said and sat him down again. "You liked that, didn't you? Yes, you did."

Elliot kissed her cheek and rubbed her back. "He'll be walking before we know it, honey."

"I know. He's growing up so quickly," she said sadly. "Gosh, I still remember the night he was born. All that pain and then the pure joy as soon as I heard his first cry and he was placed on my chest as the nurse wiped him down. I even remember bringing him home. I can't believe it was eight months ago already."

"I know, Liv, it's going so quickly. Before we know it, it will be Zac's first day of school and we'll be dropping his younger brother or sister off at my mom's house or day care before heading to class at the police academy."

Laughing, Olivia shook her head. "Let me get through my final exams first... and college before we think about that."

"Of course," he replied and yawned.

"You getting more sleep at night yet, hon?" Olivia asked concerned.

"Yeah, a little. Still having some nightmares," he confessed straight away, surprising Olivia.

"Why don't you wake me?"

"Cause you need your sleep to keep up with Zac," he replied as they watched Zac crawl over to his walker, that he hadn't used yet.

Olivia smiled and got up, heading over to him. "You want to try that out, huh, champ?"

As Zac giggled, Olivia put him in the seat and buckled him in.

"Show mommy and daddy what you got, baby," Olivia laughed.

"Liv, I think he's too young for it."

"Hush," Olivia replied, shushing her husband, continuing to watch their son.

Not knowing what to do in this new thing, Zachary started to cry.

"Settle down, Zac," Olivia said, laughing and she gently started to push him along in the walker.

Startled, Zachary stilled instantly and looked around, smiling, when he saw his mother pushing him along. He became fasinated with it. Giggling, he started banging his tiny fists on the plastic table top on it.

"He likes that," Elliot spoke up from the couch.

"He sure does," Olivia agreed, still pushing Zac along. "Move your legs, Zac." She stopped pushing him and sat back down on the couch beside Elliot. "Show mommy and daddy what you got."

"Liv, he's too young. He won't be able to," Elliot said again.

Groaning, Olivia shook her head. "Let him try, El. We won't know unless we let him try. I want Zachary to be the best that he can be," she stressed.

"Okay, okay," Elliot gave in and turned his attention back to Zac.

Confused as to why his mommy had stopped pushing him along, Zac looked over at his parents on the couch, tilting his little head.

"Come on, Zacy," Olivia encouraged him.

Zac moved his right leg back and forth as if testing it out. He'd seen everyone else do it. He moved his right leg forward again and planted his foot on the carpeted floor and did the same with his left. Effectively moving a little.

"Wow! Well done, Zac," Elliot gasped in surprise.

"Yeah," Olivia agreeed.

It took several more minutes before Zac tried again. He took two more steps and reached the couch. He reached up to Olivia and started babbling.

"Okay, Zac," Olivia said and unbuckled him before lifting him out. "Go to daddy, buddy."

With a smile, Elliot took Zachary before looking at Olivia, confused, as she got up. "Where you you going?"

"For a shower. We have grocery shopping to do today. You want to come or you want to stay home?"

"I'll come," Elliot replied, laughing and laid Zac down on the couch beside him before starting to tickle him. "Go have a shower, I'll have one after."

Olivia smiled and headed toward the bathroom.

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Walking down the hygiene aisle in the supermarket, Olivia was pushing a happy Zac in the stroller beside Elliot, who was pushing the shopping cart.

"Oh my God! It's you two!" a familiar voice screeched, one the Stablers never wanted to hear again. Lucy from high school.

"Don't, Liv. Ignore her. Don't let her get to you," Elliot warned in a whisper.

Olivia exhaled a deep breath and grabbed some toothpaste and body wash of the shelf and moved to put them in to the cart.

"I heard you had a cry, so you could be home schooled. Cry. Cry. Cry," Lucy snarled.

"Don't, Liv," Elliot warned again.

"Come on, Olivia, you're not knocked up anymore, fight me," Lucy taunted, taking a couple steps closer to Olivia and Elliot.

Olivia shook her head and leaned over to check on Zachary. His eyes were beginning to droop, feeling sleepy.

"Oh my God, that's your kid. He's so... He's so..."

"Don't you dare even think about disrespecting my son," Elliot growled.

"You have to have Elliot stick up for you?! What a baby!"

That was the last straw for Olivia. She wasn't going to take it anymore.

"Liv, don't. Let's just move on to the next aisle," Elliot tried to persuade her.

Ignoring him, Olivia turned to Lucy and walked right up to her. Her face just inches from Lucy's.

"Come on, hit me," Lucy taunted again.

Olivia put her hands on her hips and she narrowed her eyes at Lucy. "If I didn't have my husband and son to worry about or to keep me in line, I would, Lucy. Trust me, I would. But unlike you, I have people who love me and people I love. And I don't particularly want to be arrested for assault... I want to be a good role model for my gorgeous, intelligent son," she said, stressing on the words 'gorgeous' and 'intelligent'. "So, if you'll excuse me, my family and I have shopping to do," she finished and headed back to Elliot and Zac.

"Weak!" Lucy called out.

Olivia shook her head and started to push the stroller again. "Let's go, El."

Turning in to the next aisle, Elliot turned to Olivia as she stopped to pick up a pack of diapers. "Liv?"

"Yeah?" she asked, putting the pack in to the shopping cart.

"You handled that thing with Lucy pretty well. I'm proud of you."

"You were expecting me to hit her, weren't you?" she asked, putting some more baby stuff in to the cart.

"Actually to be honest, yeah I did."

Olivia smirked and shook her head. "And to be honest myself, I wanted to... But I want to be a good role model for Zac."

Nodding, Elliot kissed her on the lips. "Trust me, you already are a good role model. I love you."

"You are too. I love you. We need to make a move on though before Zac requests lunch."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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It was Zachary Stabler's first birthday and Olivia had her last exam before she would go to Angie's house for Zachary's birthday party. Only a small one with the people that he actually accepted in his life.

Waking up to the alarm clock, Olivia smiled to find herself in her husband's embrace as he continued to snore behind her. She turned off the alarm was sighed contently. She was content and comfotable and didn't want to move but the birthday boy had other ideas.

The baby monitor on the nightstand came to life with, "Mama! Mama!" A happy squeal from Zachary on the other end.

Olivia extraced herself from Elliot's arms and headed in to the nursery. Her little man was standing up in his crib, gripping the side rail. His little face lit up when he caught sight of his mommy entering the room in her pajamas.

"Mama!" he exclaimed happily.

"Good morning, birthday boy," she greeted him as she lifted him out of the crib. As soon as her nose picked up on the smell coming from his diaper, she crinkled her nose. "Whoa! Someone really needs a diaper change, huh?" she said and laid him down on the change table.

Zac did not like it at all and started to protest. "Mama! No!" he cried, fighting against her.

In response, Olivia unclipped his pajamas and blew a raspberry on his chubby baby belly, causing him to giggle happily and kick his legs. "Mama just needs to change you quickly, then it's time for breakfast, Zacy. Mama has her last exam today and then mama is finished high school but it will be off to college in a few months," she confided in her son, even though she doubted that he could understand what she was talking about.

Olivia quickly changed and dressed Zachary before standing him on the floor and taking his small hand in hers. "Let's hand in to the kitchen for breakfast, huh?" she said and guided him out of the nursery.

He could walk when holding someone's hand but he was still having a little trouble walking on his own.

"Look Zacy, dada snuck up and started cooking breakfast," she laughed, pointing Elliot out, who was now squatting down just in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Dada!" Zac squealed happily and giggled when his dada picked him up.

"Morning, birthday boy," Elliot greeted Zac and gave him a kiss on the head before turning to his wife and giving her a kiss on the lips. "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning, honey. How did you sleep?" she asked as Elliot sat Zachary in his high chair.

Heading back to the stove, Elliot laughed. "You mean before or after our midnight romp?"

Olivia blushed. "El, not in front of Zachary please."

"Sorry, babe. Yeah, I slept well. Did you?" He turned off the stove and grabbed out some bowls.

"Yeah," she replied, distantly and put Zac's bib on him.

"Liv? I thought you would be happy now that you've got time to go to the gym."

Olivia shook her head as Elliot placed a bowl of oatmeal down in front of her. "I'll talk later, I promise, okay? I need to eat this, have a shower and get to my exam, El." She sighed and picked up her spoon.

Elliot cupped her left cheek and kissed her on the lips. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Of course... I have to eat this, time is not on my side this morning," she said and started on her breakfast.

Elliot just sighed and sat down beside Zachary to feed him.

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Sitting on the sofa at his mother's house, Elliot watched Zachary playing in his playpen while he waited for Olivia to get there after completing her exam.

"What's going on, son?" Angie asked, sitting down on the couch beside him.

He hadn't even heard his mother come in.

Elliot sighed and shook his head.

"Is something wrong with Olivia?"

"I think so but she won't talk to me about it... I don't know what to do to help her."

Angie rubbed Elliot's back. "She'll come around, El."

The front door opened and Olivia emerged, dumping her small backpack on the floor in the corner of the foyer. "I'm here! Where are my men?"

"In the living room, baby," Elliot called back.

"Hi, where is everyone?" Olivia asked and gave Elliot a kiss.

"Not here yet, darling," Angie replied.

Olivia nodded and headed over to the playpen. "Was Zacy a good boy?" she asked her husband as she picked up their son.

"Yes, he was," Elliot replied, "he took a couple of steps on his own before he fell on his bottom and giggled."

"Wow, big boy," Olivia exclaimed and gave Zachary a kiss. "You want to show mama you can walk on your own?" She stood Zac on the floor and looked up at Elliot, not losing her grip on Zachary's hands. "El, could you please walk behind him just in case?"

"Sure," Elliot replied and got up.

Once Elliot was beside her, Olivia gently got Zac to take his hands and she sat down on the couch.

"Zacy, walk to mama," Olivia said and patted the floor in front of her.

Elliot slowly let go of Zac's hands and Zac took one step... two... three... four...before he got wobbly... five... six... and he fell on his diapered bottom and giggled.

"Come on, Zac, you can do it, buddy, pick yourself up," Olivia coached and Zac picked himself up, using the table for support, to give it another go.

He finally reached his mother and reached up to her with a yawn. "Mama."

"Someone's due for their nap, huh?" Olivia said softly, picking Zachary up, just as the door bell rang.

Angie excused herself amnd went to answer the door.

Elliot had been to lost in watching his wife to even notice. Even as Olivia smiled and cooed to their son, he could still see the sadness in her eyes.

Something was really bothering her, something that was causing her great pain and wasn't obviously able to talk about it but he would try to coax it out of her when they got home.

Elliot was brought out of his reverie when he heard Olivia shushing her best friends, so they didn't wake Zac up, who had drifted off in her arms. His head resting on her breasts. He was content in his mama's embrace.

Alex and Casey placed the presents they had brought with them on to the coffee table.

"Earth to Elliot..." Alex said, waving her hand in front of his face. "You okay?"

Clearing his throat, Elliot shook his head. "Sure, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, distantly and walked over to Olivia. "I'll put Zac down." He picked Zac up, who stirred but didn't wake, instead starting to rest in his father's arms.

"El?"

Elliot sighed. "Talk to me when you're ready to talk to me about whatever is bothering you," he said softly and headed upstairs with Zachary.

Olivia sighed and looked at her friends. "Excuse me," she whispered and headed upstairs herself.

She found Elliot laying Zac in his crib, which was set up in his old bedroom. She'd spent quite a few nights sleeping in this bedroom while Elliot was gone. "El?" she whispered.

Elliot groaned and turned around to face her. Without a word. Elliot gently grabbed her arm and pulled her in to his brother's old bedroom, shutting the door behind them. "What is going on, Olivia? What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing," Olivia replied, shaking her head. "Please stop asking me."

"Olivia?..."

"Elliot, please just drop it..."

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Small talk was being made between Angie, Emily, Alex and Casey in the kitchen, when they were startled by yelling upstairs, followed by Zachary crying.

"Oh God, they're arguing and it sounds bad," Emily groaned.

"Em, get Zac. Casey, Alex, stay down here just in case Olivia comes running down," she said and rushed up the stairs with Emily close behind.

Reaching the room, Angie opened the door. "That's enough!" she yelled over them, "give it up! Your son is crying!"

Olivia bit her bottom lip, holding back her threatening tears and rushed out.

She saw her sister in law holding her son. "Pass me my son please," she whispered.

Nodding, Emily quickly complied and passed Zachary to Olivia.

"Thanks." Olivia took him and rushed out of the house, grabbing the diaper bag and ignoring her friends calling for her on the way out.

Times like this she was glad that she finally had her license and had driven Elliot's car.

Olivia quickly opened the car, threw in the diaper bag and put Zac in his seat, buckling him in before closing the door and getting in the driver's seat.

As soon as she saw Elliot emerge from the house, Olivia started the engine and backed out of the drive way before speeding off.

"Liv! Liv, come back!" he yelled out.

Upon seeing her drive away, he yelled and punched the brick exterior wall of the house.

Angie sighed after watching the scene unfold in front of her. "El, why did you accuse your wife of doing something that you know she would never do?"

"Cause it all seemed to fit... Except she never denies me... hmmm," he stopped, realizing that he had jumped to conclusions.

Shaking her head, Angie said,"Go talk to Olivia. I doubt she's cheating on you, El." She grabbed her car keys and passed them to him. "Take my car. If something is going on, let Olivia explain. She loves you, Elliot. Something is happening to her and she is trying to protect you from the pain."

Elliot stilled and looked at his mother confused. "Has she told you something and not me?"

"Oh no, no, son. I just got to really know her while you were gone. She's still trying to deal with everything, especially her childhood. Something is going on but I don't think it is that."

Elliot sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "I'm going to go to find her and ask her what's going on."

"Well don't start yelling at her again because she'll only run again and you don't want that. Remember, her mother used to always yell at her..." she finished and headed back inside the house, shutting the door behind her.

Elliot took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly as he headed over to his mother's car.

He was going to head home first to see if she went home with Zachary.

Pulling up at the apartment building, Elliot sighed in relief to see the car sitting there.

He pulled up in to an empty spot and went through all the motions of shutting off the engine and getting out of the car before he rushed in to the building and up to the apartment.

He entered the apartment and sighed in relief again when he found his wife and son on the couch. Olivia was watching television, crying silently with Zachary sound asleep in her arms, his head on her chest.

"Liv?"

Seeing Elliot enter, Olivia quickly swipped away her tears. "Elliot..."

Elliot sat down beside her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry for yelling. And I'm sorry for accusing you of having an affair."

Olivia sniffled and shook her head.

"It's Zac's first birthday, baby, it's supposed to be a happy day. Come back to the house with me. They're all there for Zac."

Bitting her bottom lip, Olivia nodded. "Okay. Only because I want Zac to have a happy first birthday," she replied and very gently passed a sleeping Zac to Elliot before getting up.

"Liv?"

"And we'll talk later," she told him sternly. She was still hurt from his accusation of an affair.

"Liv please."

"I thought you wanted to go back to the house?"

Elliot sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, let's go," he replied softly and guided Olivia out with Zac still asleep in his other arm.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. More reviews, faster updates, so please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Zachary's first birthday went without a further hitch but Olivia barely spoke to Elliot the rest of the day, which frustrated him but he didn't want to say anything to upset her further, so he just kept quiet about it.

It was three in the morning and Elliot couldn't sleep. He'd been banished from the bedroom and made to sleep on the couch in the living room.

Knowing sleep wasn't going to be coming for him, Elliot sat up and sighed, running a hand through his hair. This was the biggest fight that he and Olivia had had during their entire relationship and the first time that he'd been kicked out of the bedroom and made to sleep on the couch, she hadn't even done it while she was pregnant and hormonal.

Elliot got up and crept toward the nursery. He tip-toed in there, up to the crib and peered down at Zachary, who was sound asleep.

"Hey buddy," he whispered and rubbed his chubby belly. He forgot that the baby monitor was in there and turned on, Elliot continued to whisper to his sleeping son. "Daddy screwed up real bad, son. Daddy said something really mean and wrong to mommy and doesn't know how to take away the pain."

Zachary stirred and turned over to his side but didn't wake up.

Elliot sighed and kissed the side of Zac's head. "Sweet dreams, my boy, I'm glad that one of us can sleep," he whispered and tip-toed out.

Looking at the closed master bedroom door, Elliot decided to check on his wife.

He took a deep breath and opened the door, glad that Olivia hadn't gone as far as to lock him out.

The room was silent and dark but Elliot could see Olivia's curled up form in the bed, courtesy of the full moon shining through their window. He quietly walked over to the bed and kissed Olivia's forehead before turning to leave but a shaky whispered voice stopped him.

"Stay."

Elliot turned back to see Olivia awake. "Are you sure?"

"Not really but I still love you and you belong in this bed with me. _Your wife_," she whispered, sadly, stressing on the words, 'your' and 'wife'.

"I love you too," he whispered and climbed in to the bed behind her, on his side of the bed. He hoped with everything in him it would continue to be his side of the bed, beside his wife.

Olivia surprised herself and Elliot when she rolled over and cuddled up with him, resting her head on his chest.

Sighing in relief, Elliot wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her back but not game enough to slip his hands under her pajama top to rest his hands on her bare back, like he usually did. He kissed the crown of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo and whispered, "I'm so sorry, baby, so so sorry."

Olivia sniffled and shook her head. "Shut up," she whispered back painfully. "It hurt and I'm not ready to talk about it. I just want to sleep and I can't unless you are here with me. By my side."

Elliot rubbed her back. "Well I'm here now. Sleep, Liv. I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

It took about twenty minutes but Olivia finally drifted off to sleep.

Elliot could feel the wetness of Olivia's tears, which had soaked through his pajama top on to his bare chest beneath but he knew that he was the cause of those tears so he wasn't going to move her so he could change his top.

He kissed the top of her head again and leaned back, closing his eyes. He drifted off to sleep listening to the sounds of Olivia's soft, even breathing backed by Zachary's quicker, softer breathing coming through the baby monitor.

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Elliot woke up again just three hours later to Zachary's sleepy voice coming through the monitor. "Dada! Dada!"

With Olivia curled up on the other side of the bed, lightly snoring, Elliot got up out of bed carefully and quietly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

He headed in to the nursery to find Zac standing up in his crib, clutching the side rail and shaking it, crying.

"Oh buddy, what's wrong?" Elliot asked softly, picking up his son. "Bad dream?"

Zachary snuggled in to Elliot and started to fall asleep on his shoulder in response.

Rubbing his back, Elliot walked in to the living room and sat down the couch. He turned on the television and Olivia appeared in the doorway. "Morning," he greeted her softly as to not wake Zachary.

"Morning. Is he okay?" she asked, just as softly.

"Yeah. I think he just had a bad dream. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. I'm going to have a shower and go to the gym," she said simply and headed straight for the bathroom.

Elliot sighed. Olivia was still hiding something from him and was about to do something wrong but he had to make sure it wasn't happening at the gym because it only became obvious that something was wrong after she started going to the gym.

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Once he got himself and Zachary ready, Elliot put him in the stroller and walked the three blocks to the gym that Olivia now frequented. It was a fairly new gym, which was run out of an old dance studio, which had been renevated to modernize it and so it was suitable.

Walking up to one of the tall, clear glass windows, Elliot stopped when he caught sight of Olivia and a male trainer getting way too close to his liking.

"Dada! Dada!" Zachary screeched from the inside the stroller as he tried to escape. He wanted to go play. "Dada! Mama!"

"Mama's busy, champ. Hang tight for a second," he told his son before looking up through the glass again.

It looked like Olivia and the trainer were kissing.

Elliot growled angrily as he shook his head. "You lied to me," he seethed and walked away.

He couldn't believe she'd lied to him and then made him feel guilty for accusing her.

He would have ran in there and seperated them but he couldn't with Zachary with him.

"Let's go see grammy, son," he said sadly and listened to his son cheer happily as they walked away from the gym.

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"Get the hell off me!" Olivia cried and pushed the trainer away from her before wiping her mouth.

"Aw, come on, Olivia, you know you want me."

"No, I don't. I love my husband and my son. You're too old for me anyway. Get lost," she said and went to walk away but Nigel the trainer grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her back.

People had stopped what they were doing and were watching them now. All trying to see what the commotion was about.

"Let me go!" she yelled and pulled her wrist out of his grip before running out of the gym. She just wanted to go home and cuddle up with Elliot and Zachary, so she could feel safe and loved. She thought going there that early that he wouldn't be there yet and she would be safe but he was there and ready to torment her.

Olivia ran the three blocks back to her apartment building and ran all the way up to her apartment before letting herself in. It was too quiet and there was no sign of her husband or son. "El? Zacy?" She got no answer, so she looked around for a note. No note. She sighed and headed back out, locking the door behind her. "Angie's," she muttered and rushed back down the stairs and out of the building. "Damn it!" she cried, seeing that Elliot had taken the car. She'd have to walk there.

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She finally made it to Angie's house and let herself in. "El? Zac? Angie?"

"We're in the living room, darling," Angie called back.

Walking in to the living room, Olivia only found Angie and Zachary, who was playing on the floor. "Zacy."

Hearing his mommy call him, Zac slowly got up on to his feet and walked wobbily over to her. "Mama," he squealed happily.

Olivia instantly scooped him up and cuddled him close. She needed his comfort. "Hi, my little man. I love you so much," she whispered as a couple tears fell.

"Mama," Zachary breathed, content with being in his mama's embrace as he started to drift off with his head on her shoulder.

"Has he had a nap yet? He woke up early this morning."

Angie shook her head. "He kept calling for you. Wouldn't sleep."

Rubbing Zachary's back, Olivia asked, "Where's El?"

"He's out back but if you got out there, you should leave Zac in here," Angie told her gently but firmly.

Confused, Olivia furrowed her brows. "What... What did I do?"

"Go talk to him. Tell him the truth," Angie answered, standing up.

"Huh?" Olivia asked, genuinely confused. "Truth about what?"

"About what happened at the gym this morning." She gently took Zac from Olivia and headed upstairs with him.

Olivia shook her head and went out the back, where she found her husband standing on the back deck, leaning over the rail. "Elliot?"

Elliot turned around sharply with an angry glare. "How could you?!" he spat.

"How could I what? I don't know what you're talking about," she said softly.

"Oh, don't act so innocent, Olivia! I saw you kiss that trainer! How could you cheat on me?! Especially after you said you didn't and made me feel guilty for accusing you!" he yelled at her.

"I didn't cheat!" she yelled back, just as strongly. She wouldn't let herself break in front of him right now. "He kissed me and I pushed him away! I love you and Zachary too much to do something like that." Her voice lowered as she continued. "I'd be nothing without you two. Zac and I will be at home, if you ever decide to believe me," she finished in a whisper and walked sadly back in to the house.

Elliot sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to believe her but he knew what he saw. He stood there for another few long minutes before walking back inside.

He found his mother clearing up Zachary's toys from the living room floor. "Liv take Zac?"

Angie nodded. "Yeah... She was hysterical, El."

"I'm going down to the gym to talk to that trainer," he said and picked up the car keys.

"Don't do anything illegal, Elliot. Don't do anything stupid," Angie stressed.

"I won't," Elliot promised and headed out.

Angie sighed and ran a hand through her long hair as she slumped down on to the couch. Her son had a tenacity to jump to conclusions too quickly and most of the time he was wrong. And her gut was telling her that this was one of those times, where her son was absolutely wrong and she hoped that he wouldn't take it too far and ruin his marriage. This was the ultimate test to see just how strong Elliot and Olivia's marriage was.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Thanks to the people who have been reviewing. Please read and review.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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As soon as Elliot entered the gym, a young blond woman approached him.

"Excuse me. You're Olivia's husband, aren't you? I've seen a family photo."

Confused, Elliot stopped and nodded. "Yes, I am. Do I know you?"

The young woman shook her head. "No, you don't. I'm Bethany Cooper. I train with Olivia some days. We've become good friends."

Tilting his head a little, Elliot asked, "Did you see what happened this morning?"

Bethany nodded. "And Olivia is innocent. It's happened a few times actually."

Sighing, Elliot asked, "Can you please tell me what happened?"

The two sat down on a bench outside and Bethany told him everything. She'd been training with Olivia when this morning's incident occurred, so she'd seen very little detail.

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Olivia sat in the rocking chair, in the nursery, with Zachary on her lap, the back of his head resting on her breasts as they sat, gently rocking, and looking out the window at their surroundings.

Trying to keep her tears at bay, Olivia kissed her son's head and whispered, "I love you, Zacy. Mama loves you so much."

Zac turned to face his mama with a smile. "Wuv?"

"Yeah, baby. L-ove," she said slowly. "Can you say that? L-ove?"

"Wuv?" Zachary asked, tilting his head a little.

Olivia laughed lightly and turned him around on her lap, so he was facing her completely. "Close enough. I love you," she whispered her love to him again.

Zachary leaned up, holding tightly on to Olivia as he planted a sloppy kiss on his mama's nose. "Mama. Wuv," he exclaimed happily.

Biting her bottom lip, a happy tear flowed down Olivia's right cheek. "Oh, my Zacy boy. I'd be nothing without you, baby. You and your daddy are my world... I just hope that your daddy finds out that I would never cheat on him," she confided in her son softly and kissed his forehead.

Wanting to go and play, Zachary tried to squirm off her lap.

"Come on, I'll put you in the playpen in the living room," Olivia said as she got up.

Just as Olivia sat Zachary in the playpen, the phone started to ring.

She sighed and shook her head. She wasn't in a social mood right now, she just wanted to be left alone with her son. "Mama is just going to get you a drink of water, buddy. Mama will be right back," she told him and headed in to the kitchen, ignoring the ringing phone.

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"Hello?" Angie asked, answering the phone.

"Mom, it's me. Could you please call Olivia at the apartment? I need to know if she's there," Elliot pleaded with his mother.

Angie sighed. She didn't want to get involved. "Okay. Give me three minutes and call me back. I still can't see why you can't call her yourself."

"Mom, please..."

"Okay, okay. Give me three minutes," she told him and hung up before calling Olivia.

It rang and rang but there was no answer. Either Olivia wasn't at home or she was just ignoring the phone. Angie hung up and waited for Elliot to call her back.

As if he had been timing it, Elliot called back at the three minute mark and Angie picked up straight away.

"What did she say, mom?" he asked instantly.

"She didn't answer the phone, Elliot." Angie could hear him begin to panic over the phone. "Go find her and apologize."

"Mom, how do you know she didn't do it?"

"Call it intuition, if you like, but I knew that she didn't cheat on you from the start. Apologize."

"Could you please go to the apartment to see if she's there for me?" Elliot asked, almost pleading with her.

"No. No, Elliot. You're not a child anymore, I can't keep fighting your battles for you. You have a wife and son now and I love all three of you but I have to admit that the only side I'm on right now is Zachary's. He's stuck in the middle and he shouldn't be. Apologize to Olivia and get this all sorted out. Neither of you are perfect, okay? But Olivia did not cheat on you. I mean it, Elliot, sort this out, don't get angry if Olivia doesn't accept it straight away but you two have a strong marriage. Do not let this ruin your relationship, your life. Go," she told her son and hung up. She just hoped that it wasn't too late.

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After hanging up with his mom, Elliot ran out the gym and in the direction of the apartment. He had to find his wife and son quickly. He just hoped with everything in him that they were home and Olivia hadn't taken off with Zachary, like she had when he was a newborn.

He finally reached the apartment and unlocked the door before taking a deep breath and walking in.

Olivia sitting on the couch, curled up with her legs behind her as she watched some soap opera on the TV and ate chocolate icecream out of the carton; Zachary was sitting in his playpen, happily playing with his toy truck, making car noises, content with the world as he stayed oblivous to what was happening between his parents.

At the sound of the door opening, both Olivia and Zachary looked up, only for Olivia to just turn her attention straight back to the television.

Elliot sighed as he shut the door but turned back with a forced smile. A smile for Zac's sake.

"Dada!" Zachary screeched happily as he discarded his toy and stood up.

"Hi, my boy," Elliot greeted the boy as he picked him up. He gave him a big hug before heard Olivia slam down the icecream carton and storm off toward the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Closing his eyes, Elliot groaned before opening his eyes again. "I think grammy needs to pick you up, so mama and dada can have sometime alone, huh?" he said and sat Zac back down in his playpen, so that he could ring Angie.

In the bedroom, Olivia was standing by the window looking out and trying not to cry. She was still hurt by Elliot's hurtful accusation but at the same time wanted to fuck him senseless to prove her love for him.

Lost in thought, Olivia subconsciously lifted her t-shirt a little and let her fingertips trace the faint stretch marks that still marked her otherwise flawless, soft, naturally tanned skin. She hated the stretch marks but she loved what she got out of it. Zachary.

Olivia couldn't imagine life without her one year old son or her husband, no matter how much he was hurting her right now.

Sighing, she let her hands drop to her sides. "I wish you would just believe me when I tell you the truth," Olivia murmured to herself with a sniffle and sat down on the bed. She grabbed her favourite photo, which always sat in its frame on the nightstand. It was a photo taken by Angie, when Zachary was a week old.

In the photo, Olivia and Elliot sat cuddled up on the back porch swing, Zachary asleep in her arms. Olivia in a long, white, summer dress, Elliot in a pair of black shorts and a red t-shirt and Zachary in just his diaper and a tiny blue t-shirt with 'Zachary' embroided in red on the front, which Angie had made. His bib discarded to the side, just for the photo.

"Gosh, how time flies," she whispered to herself as a tear fell freely from her right eye. She wiped it away quickly and put the photo back where it belonged.

Leaning her head back, Olivia sighed and closed her eyes.

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Once Angie took Zachary, claiming it was only until after dinner and she would then be bringing him back home, Elliot headed to the master bedroom, so that he could sort this terrible mess out with his wife before he lost her.

He took a deep breath and exhaled it painfully slowly before he put his hand on the metal door knob and turned it.

As he slowly opened the door, he could hear a sniffle. Elliot knew that Olivia was either crying or just finished. "Liv?" he called out tenderly and nervously.

"Yes?" Olivia replied weakly, wiping away the abundance of tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so so sorry, baby," Elliot apologized as he took a seat on the bed beside her. "I should've just believed you. I know that you'd never cheat on me, beautiful."

Shaking her head, Olivia scooted closer to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. "No, I never will, I promise you that, Elliot. I can't promise much... but I can promise you that. You were my first and you will be my last. You're the father of my child and I hope that you can be for atleast two more children... The accusation hurt, still does," she whispered painfully. "But I still love you so damn much," she sobbed.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. "I know, angel, and I'm so incredibly sorry. And while we're making promises, I promise you the same. You're the mother of my child and hope you can be for atleast a couple more. A little girl, who looks like your little clone would be so wonderful," he smiled, "I love you too, so damn much. I can't lose you or Zac... I'd be nothing. Let me make love to you to apologize and to show you how much I love you," he spoke softly.

In an instant, Olivia laid down and pulled Elliot down on top of her. "Where's Zac?" she asked in between kisses, moaning when Elliot started to suck on her neck.

"At. My. Mom's," he told her, in between teasing her neck. "We have until after dinner."

Olivia moaned loudly when she felt Elliot's forming erection against her. "I want you so fucking bad."

"Potty mouth," Elliot purred and claimed her lips with his as his right hand took charge of her left breast.

Olivia's hands flew straight to Elliot's pants as she writhed beneath him. She was unconcerned with his t-shirt right now.

"Whoa, Liv! Slow down," he said, trying to stop her.

"No, please," she pleaded with him, "We can go slow next time. I just need and want you so bad right now."

Nodding in understanding, Elliot released her hands and she quickly pulled down his pants as far as she could reach before Elliot disposed of them the rest of the way.

"These are cute and everything but they got to go," Elliot purred before getting rid of Olivia's pants and thong in one quick, fluid movement. "So beautiful," he admired her, like he did everytime they made love.

"Hurry up and get a damn condom on before I lose it," she begged, rocking underneath him. She needed to desperately relieve the sexual tension.

"Hold on, Liv," he said and reached over to the nightstand, causing Olivia to whimper as his rock hard, erect, shaft grazed along her stomach.

Elliot slipped the condom on and lined his member at the entrance of Olivia's wet and ready core. "You ready?"

Olivia nodded and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Oh God, yes."

"Guide me in, baby," Elliot grunted in her ear.

In an instant, Olivia reached down and took a hold of his member, guiding him in.

Elliot started trusting in and out of his wife in a slow and steady rhythm as Olivia met him with each thrust.

"Faster! Faster!" Olivia panted in Elliot's ear.

In response, Elliot started to suck on her neck and began to pick up the pace.

The sounds of Elliot and Olivia panting, whimpering and grunting filled the room, along with the sounds of the mattress squeaking beneath them with their quick, frantic movements.

"Let go, beautiful," Elliot panted, feeling her inner walls clench around him.

"Cum with me, El," Olivia whimpered.

Elliot grunted and exploded within her, sending Olivia in to oblivion with him, both panting together with the sheen of sweat on their skin.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you too, El," Olivia whispered back and whimpered as Elliot pulled out.

Elliot took off the condom and disposed of it before cuddling up with Olivia. "So are we okay?"

Resting her head on Elliot's chest, Olivia nodded. "We will be."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Sorry for the delay I forgot that I had typed this a few days ago. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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After the accusation of an affair and the incident at the gym, Olivia started to attend a different one and she and Elliot were finally on the upswing again.

Waking up to the alarm at six AM sharp, Olivia slowly opened her eyes and smiled when she found that she and Elliot were in the exact opposite position that they had gone to sleep in. Elliot's head on her breast, an arm draped over her near flat stomach and legs flung carelessly over hers.

She turned off the offending noise and kissed the top of her husband's head, rubbing his back.

"Rise 'n' shine, sexy," she whispered, still half asleep.

Elliot cleared his throat and opened his eyes, looking up at her with a half asleep smile. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered back and sat up.

Sitting up herself, Olivia smiled. "I love waking up like this."

Elliot kissed her on the lips and slowly nodded. "Me too."

"Zac's a little quiet this morning," Olivia said, looking at the baby monitor. "He's up to something."

"He might be just asleep, Liv," Elliot told her as she got up off the bed.

"Zac's usually awake by now," she replied, shaking her head. She couldn't help but worry.

"Okay, baby, go check on Zac and I'll make breakfast," Elliot said and watched her walk out.

Olivia was in the nursery in an instant and courtesy of the nightlight and the rising sun, she caught her son trying his hardest to climb out of his crib. At fourteen months, he was becoming quite adventurous.

"Zachary Isaiah," Olivia warned softly as she turned on the overhead light before turning off the nightlight.

Hearing his mommy's voice, Zachary stoppped in an instant and looked up. "Mama," he exclaimed happily and put his leg down.

"What are you doing, huh, kiddo? Trying to climb out?"

Zachary smiled and reached up to her.

Picking him up, Olivia kissed his head. "No more trying to climb out, mister... Whoa! Someone needs his bum changed," she said and headed over to the change table. "Let's get you ready to see Grammy. Mama and Dada have to go to college today," she told her son as she began to change him.

Zachary had stopped his protesting as soon as his mama mentioned that he was going to grammy's house. "Grammy! Grammy!"

Shocked, Olivia stopped and looked at her baby boy. "D-did you just say grammy, son?"

Zac grinned mischieviously. "Mama."

"Who's my smart little man?" Olivia laughed and blew a raspberry on his chubby little belly, causing him to giggle joyfully. "You're growing up too quickly, Zacy. Can you slow down a little bit? For mama?" she asked as she continued to change him.

Zachary kicked his legs happily as he reached up at his mama. "Mama! Food!"

"Blurting out new words left and right, huh, champ?" Olivia laughed as she put a little red t-shirt on him to go with the jeans that she'd already put on him. "Let's see dada and get breakfast," she said and stood him on the floor.

As soon as his socked feet touched the floor, Zac was off. Once he'd become steady on his feet, he had become more comfortable and loved to walk on his own.

"Hold on, buddy," Olivia laughed and followed him out. "Look, Zacy, there's dada," she said when they reached the kitchen doorway.

Elliot turned away from the stove and picked Zachary up. "Morning, kiddo," he greeted his son with a tickle.

In response, Zachary squirmed in Elliot's arms, giggling. "Food!!" he squealed.

Elliot stopped in shock and looked at Olivia. "Did he?"

With a proud smile, Olivia nodded. "Yes, he did, honey. He said that and grammy in the nursery."

"Wow, big boy!" Elliot exclaimed and kissed Zachary's head before sitting him in his high chair. "Go have a shower, babe, while I finish cooking breakfast," he told his wife softly and kissed her on the lips tenderly.

Olivia nodded and went in to the bathroom.

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Sitting in her class, Olivia couldn't stop thinking about Zachary. Thinking about if he was happy or sad, playing or sleeping, eating or drinking or if he was blurting out a couple more new words.

She sighed and tried to listen to the professor and take notes.

"Zac's fine, baby," Elliot whispered and caressed the back of her hand before going back to jotting down the notes.

"I know," she whispered, "I'll just have to get used to this."

"You will. We will."

"Mr and Mrs Stabler, got something you'd like to share with the rest of the class."

"No, sir," Olivia and Elliot called back in unison.

The professor let it go and went on with the class.

Olivia found that she couldn't concentrate until she called and checked on her baby boy, so she excused herself, claiming she was going to the restroom and left before Elliot could stop her.

Olivia headed to the front office and asked to use the phone, so that she could call and check on her son.

The receptionist nodded with a smile. "Sure."

"Thank you," Olivia replied and dialed in Angie's number.

"Stabler residence."

"Hi, Angie."

"Liv, Zac is fine. He's sitting in his playpen playing and watching some cartoons on the television," Angie assured her. Olivia could hear the smile in her mother in law's voice very clearly.

"How did...?" Olivia started but Angie cut her off, trying to not to laugh.

"How did I know you were calling about Zac? Honey, I saw how reluctant you were about leaving him this morning. He's fine. Here I'll let you talk to him..."

Olivia heard Angie walking a couple steps and then whisper to Zachary before her baby boy's sweet voice flow through the phone.

"Mama!"

"Hey buddy. I love you, be good for grammy."

"Mama! Wuv!"

"Yeah, baby, see you later," she said before hearing Angie again.

"He's fine, Liv, you better get back to class."

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Angie," Olivia replied and hung up before rushing back to class.

"Where were you?" Elliot asked as she took her seat again.

Olivia sighed and started to catch up on the notes that she missed.

"You called my mom to check up on Zac, didn't you?" he asked softly as he discreetly rubbed her lower back.

Biting bottom lip, Olivia continued to write but nodded. "Yes, I did. I'm sorry," she whispered back.

"It's okay, Liv. Your his mommy. It's perfectly fine to check on your baby," he assured her. "You didn't miss much and with me in all your classes, if you miss something, I can help. We'll get used to this and everything will start to run smoothly," Elliot promised and quieted down again when the professor started to talk again.

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The first day of college seemed to just drag on endlessly for Olivia. It was the longest time that she'd spent away from her son, so as soon as her last class for the day ended, she rushed to the car with Elliot trying to keep up with her. She was desperate to get to Angie's house to see her little man.

Keeping his eyes on the road ahead, Elliot put his hand on his wife's thigh and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Babe, Zac is safe with my mom, you know that. He's absolutely fine. Stress less please," he told her softly, stealing a quick glance at her. A reassuring smile.

Sighing, Olivia nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course, I know that. I just miss him, El," she confessed.

"Yeah, I know that, sweetie. Me too. But we can't be there every minute of every single day."

"Don't you think I know that?!" she snapped accidentally.

"Liv, I didn't mean..."

"I know, El, I'm sorry. I just didn't sleep very well last night."

"Why didn't you wake me?" he asked, turning down a street and slowing down to meet the slower speed limit.

"Cause you needed to sleep, we had classes all day today," she defended herself.

"Baby, you're my wife. I'm here for you twenty four seven. I don't care if I'm sick or tired. You and Zachary come first, you know that."

"I'd feel so guilty for waking you, just like all the nights I woke you up when I was pregnant. Accidentally or not, I still felt so guilty," she told him softly.

"Well you shouldn't feel guilty. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, remember that, Livia?" he replied as he pulled up in the driveway of his mom's house.

He switched off the engine, took the key out of the ignition and quickly stopped Olivia from exiting the vehicle. "Liv, wait."

"I want to get to Zac, El," she replied distantly.

Elliot took a gentle hold of Olivia's hand and kissed the back of it. "Liv, what are you hiding from me? What is going on?" he asked. His voice void of any anger, just filled with love and concern. He gently cupped her chin in his free hand and tilted her face, so she was facing him but she refused to make eye contact with him. "Look at me, Olivia," he ordered her softly and waited till she did. "What is going on, baby? You can tell me anything, you've known that from day one," he reminded her and wiped away a tear as it fell from her eye.

"Just nightmares," she finally admitted suddenly.

"What happens in these nightmares?"

Shaking her face from her husband's loose grip, Olivia pulled her hand from his and she was out of the car before he could stop her. "I need to get Zac," she said and shut the car door before rushing in to the house.

Groaning in frustration, Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Shit," he muttered to himself.

He was hoping that she would start to open up more. Obviously not.

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"Liv? What's going on, honey?" Angie asked, walking in to the living room, holding Zachary. She'd heard Olivia rush in.

"Zac!" Olivia exclaimed and reached out for him.

"Mama!" Zachary cheered happily as Angie passed him to her.

"He was fine, Liv. What's wrong?" Angie asked concerned.

Exhaling a breath that she didn't even know she was holding, Olivia shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine," she insisted. "Thanks for taking care of him but we have to go. Elliot's waiting in the car for us."

"No problem. Take care," Angie said and watched Olivia and Zac head out.

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Finding herself wide awake and rolling over for the the fifth time in two minutes, Olivia took a glance at the clock. 2:48AM. Olivia groaned and turned over again, so she was facing her heavily sleeping husband. He was right on the other side of the bed, facing the door. She scooted over and rubbed his bare shoulder blade. "El. El, wake up," she whispered.

Elliot didn't even flinch, he just continued to snore.

Olivia sighed and decided to try again. This time, she grabbed his ass.

In response, he grabbed her wrists roughly. He was hurting her.

"Elliot, you're hurting me!" she cried out painfully.

Hearing Olivia's painful cry, Elliot woke instantly. He released her hands and rolled over to face her.

"I'm so sorry, Liv. You startled me," he whispered, half asleep. "What are you doing awake anyway? It's ten to three."

Olivia now felt guilty for waking him. "Sorry," she murmured, "I shouldn't have woken you. Go back to sleep, we have to be up in three hours," she whispered and rolled away from him.

Once he'd rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Elliot scooted over and cuddled up with Olivia from behind. He draped one arm over her abdomen, resting a hand on her belly and used his other arm to raise his head. He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. "Another nightmare, sweetheart?"

Olivia nodded with a sniffle. "About half an hour ago. Tried to go back to sleep but couldn't."

"Okay, why didn't you wake me half an hour ago then?" he asked gently, rubbing her stomach.

"You looked peaceful. I didn't want to wake you," she replied, "as it is I already feel guilty for doing just that."

"I told you to. Don't feel guilty."

"Easier said then done," she muttered.

"You want to talk about it? Or you just want me to hold you?"

"Just hold me please."

Elliot kissed her neck again and continued to caress her belly. "Okay then. Close your eyes and get some rest. I'm right here," he promised and waited for her to fall asleep before letting sleep take over for himself. He was still determined to find out about these nightmares though. He wasn't going to let it continue until the point she got sick or something. He was going to find out way before then.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Remember this story is currently set in the 80's. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Saturday came and Elliot still didn't know what was happening in Olivia's nightmares. She'd woken him a few times at night during the week but only asked him to hold her till she drifted off to sleep again. She refused to talk about them, no matter how many times he asked her to open up to him.

Elliot woke to find that the other side of the bed empty and it was only 7:04. A.M. He guessed that she must be up with Zachary, so he got up and headed in to the living room.

Olivia was sitting on the floor with her back against the couch and Zac sitting in her lap She was reading to him. Elliot thought it was the most beautiful sight and hated that he had to go to work.

"Morning, you two," he greeted them softly with a small smile.

Olivia looked up and smiled a little back. "Morning, hon," she replied as Zac climbed off her lap.

"Daddy!" he screeched happily and ran over to his daddy.

"Hey buddy," Elliot replied, picking him up. He lifted Zachary up above his head, causing him to laugh. "You're growing up so quickly, little man. I remember feeling you kick inside your mama's belly."

Giggling, Zac rested his head on his dada's shoulder. "Wuv. Mama."

Elliot smiled and looked up at Olivia, only to find that she wasn't there anymore. "Liv?" he called out softly as he carried Zac in to the kitchen.

Olivia stood at the counter preparing three bowls of cereal. She seemed very deeply lost in thought as she moved around the kitchen in some kind of trance. Sort of robot like.

Sighing, Elliot sat Zachary in his high chair and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck. "What's wrong, babe?"

Olivia exhaled a deep breath and reached behind her to cup the back of Elliot's head as she leaned back in to his embrace. "Just tired," she lied in a soft whisper.

Elliot knew she was lying but he'd dropped it, only so he could ask her in bed that night. "Okay," he whispered back. "What do you and Zac have planned for the day?"

"It's supposed to be a nice day, so I was going to take Zac for a walk in the park. Do you have to work today? We've been in college all week and haven't had much time to ourselves, El. We haven't made love since Sunday night."

Elliot grabbed her hand and got her to put the carton of milk down.

"El," she whined, "I got to get breakfast for Zac," she said over's Zachary's banging on the high chair table.

Elliot quickly put some milk in to Zac's little bowl before giving it to him with his plastic spoon.

Zachary loved to try feed himself and he wasn't happy unless they let him try.

Elliot went back to Olivia and wrapped his arms around her again, now that she was facing him, he brought her in to his embrace. "Did you end up having a second nightmare last night?"

Olivia nodded. "They're just figments of my imagination. Nothing to worry about," she tried to assure him as much as herself.

"I'm here if you want to talk. Remember that, baby," he said, caressing her cheekbone with his thumb.

"I know. Thank you." She smiled a litle in appreciation before finishing the perparation of the cereal and sitting down at the table beside Zachary in his high chair to eat.

In frustration, Elliot sighed and followed suit. As he ate his breakfast, he quietly watched Olivia eat her cereal and help Zac to eat in between each spoonful.

Suddenly, Olivia began to chuckle. "It goes in your mouth, buddy, not everywhere but... Eat up, yum, yum," she cooed and slipped another small spoonful in to his mouth.

Enjoying his food, Zac grinned innocently and clapped his hands before opening his mouth again. His way of telling his mama that he wanted more.

"Hold on, Zacy," Olivia told him and had another spoonful of her own breakfast. "Open wide," she crooned as she got another small spoonful for Zac.

Once Zac opened his mouth, Olivia pretended the plastic spoon was a airplane and slipped it in. "Mmm," he murmured and licked his lips.

Upon discovering that Elliot was watching them, Olivia smiled a little at him and tilted her head slightly. "El? Elliot?"

Elliot shook his head and cleaned his throat. "Sorry, what did you say, beautiful?"

"Babe, you haven't got time to sit there watching us, you have to get ready for work," she warned him.

Elliot looked at his watch and cursed under his breath. He hadn't realized how much time he'd spent watching his wife and son. "You're right. I'm now running late," he groaned, getting up. He quickly put his bowl and spoon in to the sink and rushed in to the bathroom to have a shower.

Laughing, Olivia wiped Zac down and picked him up out of his high chair. "Dada's silly, isn't he?" she said and tickled him.

Zachary giggled and squirmed in her arms in response.

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Pushing the stroller with Zac holding her hand as he walked by her side, Olivia entered the park. It was actually pretty busy. It seemed other parents had the same idea.

"Come on, Zac, in your stroller. It's busy out here today," she told him and picked him up.

"No!" Zachary protested and slapped Olivia's hands. He was not happy. He wanted to walk, not be buckled in his stroller.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but it's for your safety. You'll understand when you're older," she informed him as she sat him in the stroller and securely buckled him in. "Okay, let's go around to the playground, huh?" She kissed his cheek and went to grab the handles.

A shiver ran down her spine and she looked around. All she saw was the same bunch of people going about their business. Couples walking along and parents watching their children run and play. Nothing seemed to be out of place, so she started to walk along the path, headed toward the playground, which had a baby swing. Olivia wanted to see if Zachary would like it.

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Sitting at a desk sorting out papers for the detectives, Elliot couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong but he had no way of contacting Olivia and he couldn't leave without losing his job and a reliable source of income for his family.

He looked up and spotted a detective sitting at his desk, twirling a pen around in his hand as he had his legs propped up and crossed on the desk. He'd just closed a big case.

Elliot hoped that he could persuade the detective to go down to the park and check up on his wife and son to make sure they were okay and safe.

He knew Olivia wouldn't let anything happen to Zac but what would happen if she was too injured to protect him. He couldn't live without either one of them.

He quickly stood and walked over to the detective that he'd known since he was in elementary school.

"What can I do for you, El?" Detective Hardaway looked up at him.

"I was wondering if you know where that park is near my apartment?"

Detective Hardaway nodded. "Yeah."

"Well my wife and son have gone there this morning and I can't shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong," he said, starting to panic.

"And you want me to go check on them?"

Elliot nodded. "Yes, please. I'm sorry to be a pain."

"Nah, it's fine, El. I'll go check. I'll go get something to eat while I'm out," Hardaway assured him as he got up and grabbed his car keys.

Sighing, Elliot watched the detective walk out before he got back to work before the captain came out and busted him.

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As she walked further and further in to the park, Olivia couldn't help but feel that something was very, very wrong and she had to get Zachary home before something bad happened. She needed to keep him out of harms way and right now, something felt completely off.

"Actually let's head back home, buddy. I'm really sorry," she said to Zac before turning back around to head home.

Zachary started to cry and have his first full blown temper tandrum in his stroller. "Mama!"

Olivia was about to reassure the cranky toddler but the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a shiver ran down her spine, making her whole body shake.

Her ex trainer was standing there. An evil look in his eyes as he cackled. "Scared, huh, Olivia?"

Olivia gulped and pulled the stroller closer to her, so she could protect Zachary. "Leave us alone," she stutted, scared, mainly for Zac.

"Nah, I can't do that," he replied through a laugh.

"Please," Olivia begged. "I need to take my son home," she had to speak loudly over a screaming Zachary in the stroller.

This alll was happening almost exactly like it had in a few of her nightmares.

She'd never encountered something like this. This specifically or a dream or nightmare coming true. Except maybe when she was pregnant and dreamed that she was having a little boy and the next day she found that she was infact having a little boy, over the ultrasound.

"No, no, Olivia. I'm going to make you mine... You can keep the brat but I will make sure you have my child," he told her angrily.

Olivia bit her bottom lip and shook her head. She wanted to fight back but she couldn't risk Zachary getting hurt. She looked around and the park suddenly seemed completely deserted. Everyone was gone, so she couldn't cry out for help.

The sky suddenly became dark and black storm clouds drifted over them. The sun had disappeared and what had started out to be a wonderful, warm day had taken a scary, horrible twist.

Olivia wondered and hoped that she and Zac made it out of here safely. And if she couldn't, then she wanted Zac to make it out safely and in to the arms of his father.

Just as the first drops of rain started to fall from the sky, the gym trainer whipped out a butcher knife and had it aimed at Olivia's throat.

Olivia gulped in fear and was glad the rain could hide her tears as they silently streamed down her cheeks.

"Mama! Mama!" Zac cried out, trying to get her attention. He was getting wet.

"Shh, baby. It will be okay," she tried to assure him but it didn't help much.

Zachary started to scream and kick his legs again. "Mama! Dada!"

"Shut that brat up!" Nigel snapped and turned the knife on Zac.

"Please don't hurt him!" Olivia begged him.

"Well shut him up!" he yelled.

Olivia nodded and unbuckled Zachary. "Come here, handsome," she whispered, picking him up and began to rock him.

Nigel grabbed the stroller's handles with his free hand. "Move!" he ordered. "If you make one noise and I will cut you, I swear," he threatened. "We're a married couple taking our son for a walk, got it?"

Olivia didn't say a word, she just did as she was told, waiting for the perfect opportunity for her to run off with Zac. She just hoped that the opportunity came before it was too late.

Just as they reached the gate to leave the park, there were two uniformed officers and a detective standing there with their guns aimed at NIgel.

"Let them go, Nigel! You've broken your parole!" the detective yelled.


	30. Chapter 30

**Please read and review for more. I'd like to hear what you want to see happen next...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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"Why the hell should I?!" Nigel snarled angrily, not removing the knife from the side of Olivia's neck.

"Because they're innocent! Let them go! Now!"

"No!" Nigel yelled again.

Deciding to take a chance, Olivia managed to kick him behind the knees and tripped him. She then took the time to run behind the officers.

"Put down the knife, Nigel!" the detective ordered again. "Officer Williams take Mrs Stabler and her son back to the precinct to her husband. We'll bring the stroller and diaper bag."

"Yes, Detective," Officer Belinda Williams said and guied Olivia and Zachary to a squad car.

"Zachary needs a car seat," Olivia said softly, still shaking from the ordeal.

"We brought a spare one with us, Olivia. It's okay, let's get you and Zachary to Elliot. Are you riding in the back with Zachary?"

"Yes," Olivia replied distantly and put Zachary in the car seat once she had finally managed to calm him down enough.

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In the squad room, Elliot couldn't help but continually keep looking up from what he was doing to the doors. He was desperate to see that his wife and son were okay.

As soon as he saw Olivia enter with Zachary on her hip, he jumped off the chair and ran to them.

"Liv, baby, are you okay?" he asked, cupping her cheek and resting his forehead against hers.

"I am now," she whispered, sniffling, "can you please take Zac? I need to use the restroom."

"Sure, beautiful," he replied and took Zachary. "Hey, buddy, you okay?" he asked the little boy as he watched Olivia walk away pretty quickly. He sighed and kissed Zachary's head.

"Dada," Zac breathed and snuggled in to his dada. His small body had now stopped shaking in fear.

"It's okay, kiddo. You're safe now," Elliot assured him and kissed his head.

Zachary exhaled deeply in response and his little brown eyes drifted shut.

Elliot took a seat with Zachary still in his arms and looked up to see Officer Williams walk in with Zachary's stroller and diaper bag. "Belinda?"

"Hey, Elliot. Here's the stroller and diaper bag," she replied, parking the stroller beside his chair.

Elliot nodded. "Thank you. Belinda, could you please do me a favor?"

"Sure. What do you need, darling?"

"Could you please check on Olivia? She went in to the restroom, I'm worried about her," he practically begged her.

"Sure, no problem," Belinda assured him and headed straight for the woman's restroom.

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"Olivia?" Belinda called softly, entering the restroom.

As soon as she heard the familiar sound of vomiting, she sighed. She walked along the cubicles and found the one of the end closed but she could see Olivia's feet as she was kneeling in front of the toilet, leaning over it.

"Olivia, honey, are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Olivia groaned and spat in to the toilet, trying to get rid of the rancid taste in her mouth. "Yeah," she replied in a hoarse whisper as she stood up and flushed the toilet.

The cubicle door slowly opened to reveal a pale looking Olivia.

"You okay? You need a doctor?"

Olivia shook her head as she slowly walked over to the sinks. "No, I'm okay, it's just shock. I might just need to lay down."

"Take a nap in the crib, Olivia. You and Zachary are safe here."

Olivia rinsed out her mouth a second time and nodded. "Thank you," she replied gratefully and headed out the restroom back toward the squad room. Back to her men.

Seeing his wife return, looking very pale, concerned Elliot but he couldn't get up and run to her unfortunately. Zac had finally relaxed enough to fall asleep in the warmth and safety of his loving, protective father's arms.

"Liv, honey, are you alright?"

Approaching Elliot and Zachary, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, just feel a little under the weather. Can I please take Zac upstairs for a nap with me?"

"Yes, of course, baby," he replied as he passed the toddler to his mother before pressing a kiss to her lips. "I'll come up during my lunch break."

Olivia nodded and kissed Zachary's head. "Okay, honey. See you soon," she replied softly and headed up the stairs, toward the crib.

Olivia carried Zachary in to the crib and shut the door behind her and choose the bed furtherest from the door to curl up with her baby boy on as he slept cuddled in to her abdomen. Although after what happened at the park, she doubted it was a peaceful sleep, especially when he flinched or whimpered every few minutes.

"It's okay, champ. You're okay. Mama's got you and dada is just downstairs. We're safe here, little one," she whispered and softly caressed soothing circles on his small back.

She wanted him to hold her but she unfortunately had to wait until Elliot was on his lunch break and she didn't know when that was. Still in shock, Olivia couldn't even bring herself to sleep. She knew she'd only relive what happened beneath her eyelids and even though she knew that they were safe in the precinct, she still felt the need to watch over Zac like a hawk and protect him, it was just her mothering insincts in high mode.

Zachary whimpered and flinched again and in response, Olivia started to rub his back again.

"You're okay, baby boy," she whispered again and kissed his head. "It's going to be okay," she tried to reassure him, as much as herself.

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Just as Elliot got up to spend his lunch break with Olivia and Zachary up in the crib, he saw Detectives Hardaway and Weston bring Nigel the gym trainer in, handcuffed.

"You son of a bitch!" he yelled and went to jump him but felt himself being held back by another detective.

"Calm the hell down, Elliot. Go to Olivia and Zachary, they're waiting for you," Detective Galloway said in Elliot's ear as Detectives Hardaway and Weston escorted Nigel in to an interrogation room.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Elliot nodded. "Okay, okay," he muttered and headed up the stairs.

Reaching the closed door of the crib, Elliot slowly opened the door and couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of him. His beautiful wife was curled up sound asleep with their baby boy curled up sound asleep with her, his back pressed in to his mama's abdomen as he sucked on his thumb.

Zac whimpered and flinched again, accidentally smaking Olivia's breasts with the back of his head and in response to that and her current bad dream, Olivia shot up, awake, gasping for air.

"It's okay, Liv," he comforted her by sitting on the bed with her and wrapping his arms around her.

"I was so scared. Mostly for Zac. If I couldn't make it out alive, I wanted Zachary to, so he would be safe in your arms," she blurted out in amongst a sob.

"Oh baby. It's all over now. And I'm so thankful that I have both you and Zac back unharmed. He'll probably be going away for a very long time because he was already on parole and broke it, not just once but mulitple times," he informed her.

Olivia was about to reply but was interrupted by Zachary, who had just woke up crying for her.

"Mama! Mama!"

Trying to hold back her own tears, Olivia dislodged herself from Elliot's arms and gently scooped Zac up in her arms. "It's okay, baby. Mama's got you," she whispered and kissed his head as she cried in to her chest.

"Come here, you two," Elliot whispered in Olivia's ear as he sat behind her.

He gently pulled her in between his legs and wrapped his arms around both of them. "I've got you both. I won't let anything happen to you," he promised and kissed Olivia's cheek as he rubbed Zachary's back.

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Elliot must have drifted off to sleep with Olivia and Zachary because he woke to the sound of the Captain's voice trying to wake him.

Opening his eyes, Elliot cleared his throat. "Sorry, Captain. Did I sleep past my lunch break?"

The Captain nodded but had a sympathic look on his face. "Yes, but it's okay, just this once. You don't have much left to do, so why don't you take Olivia and Zachary home? Olivia can give her statement tomorrow. We have Nigel on other charges as well anyway, he won't get bail," he explained to Elliot.

Elliot nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Captain."

"No problem, Elliot. See you Tuesday afternoon, if I don't catch up with you tomorrow," the Captain said and walked out of the crib.

"Liv, wake up, beautiful," Elliot whispered in Olivia's ear and kissed the side of her neck.

Olivia moaned in response and opened her eyes. "Hey, what time is it?"

Elliot looked at his watch. "It's 1:04 P.M," he replied. "Zac must be hungry there. Let's head home."

"But you aren't finished yet."

"Yeah, I am. Captain said I could take you and Zac home."

"Are we going to be safe?" Olivia asked, adjusting Zac and getting up.

"Mama! Hungwy!" Zac cried, suddenly awake.

"Hang on, baby. We'll get something to eat really soon."

"The Captain assured me that he won't get bail and that you can give your statement tomorrow," he told her as he stood up. "Come on, Liv, let's go home," he said and took her hand.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: There is going to be time gaps sometimes and if there is I will tell you Zachary's age, so you know. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Olivia woke to the feel of a little body jumping up on to the foot of the bed and crawling up beside her. She pretended to be still asleep, like she did most mornings when the small, young creature had a tenacity to jump up on to the bed to wake her up too early, even if she did have to get up for a college class.

The three year old boy giggled as he crawled up to the head of the bed, next to his mother's face. "Mommy, mommy, time for wakies. Daddy cookeded bweakfas'," he whispered, tapping Olivia's cheek.

Olivia's eyes shot up as she grabbed him gently by the hips, causing Zachary to squeal and giggle happily. "Gotcha, monkey boy!"

"Mommy!" Zachary cried out in amongst his laughing.

In response, Olivia laid him down on the bed and kneeled over him. She lifted up his little blue pajama top and he knew what was coming. The tickle monster.

Olivia blew a raspberry on his chubby little belly and started to tickle his ribs as he squirmed and giggled in joy.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Hearing the commotion from the kitchen, Elliot laughed to himself and headed toward the master bedroom. He found his wife and son fooling around on the bed, it explained why Zachary was taking forever to get Olivia up for breakfast.

Today was Emily's eighteen birthday and they had to be at the Stabler family home by 11:30 for lunch. It was only 8:06AM, so they had a couple hours before they had to make an attempt to get ready.

"Zac, I told you to wake mommy up for breakfast, not play with mommy," he laughed, leaning against the doorframe.

"I twied, daddy! Mommy gotted me," he defended himself through laughing.

Olivia blew one more raspberry on Zac's belly and pulled his top back down before getting off the bed. "Good morning, my sexy man," Olivia whispered and planted a kiss on his lips.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her slim waist and deepended the kiss. "Morning, my beautiful wife."

Not liking the fact that he wasn't getting any attention from his parents, Zachary jumped off the bed and ran in to their legs. "Mommy! Daddy!" he screeched.

Laughing, Elliot picked Zac up, "What's your problem, champ?"

"Bweakfas' time, I hungwy."

"Okay, okay, let's eat the yummy waffles I made," Elliot replied and guided both Olivia and Zachary in to the kitchen.

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The three of them arrived at Angie's house just before 11:30 and walked up to the front door.

Olivia was dressed in a simple but beautiful emerald green ankle lengthed dress with white flats. Zac was walking beside her, holding her hand. He was dressed in a little black suit with a white shirt and tiny red bow tie. He was so adorable.

Elliot walked on the other side of Zachary, also dressed in a black suit. It was supposed to be a nice lunch with the entire family. The front yard was already filled with cars, so inside the house had to be buzzing with life.

Just before opening the door, Elliot stopped Olivia. He rested his forehead against hers and gave her a kiss. "You going to be okay?"

Olivia sighed. "You ask me this before every family event, El."

"I know, baby, but they treat you like crap everytime and they barely pay any attention to Zac."

Olivia was about to reply but the front door opened and Zac yelled out happily.

"Grammy!" He let go off his mommy's hand and ran to Angie.

"Hi, handsome," she greeted him, picking him up. "Let's give mommy and daddy a minute alone, huh?" she said and headed back inside with him, shutting the door behind her.

"I'll be fine, honey," Olivia whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you."

Elliot kissed her nose. "I love you too," he whispered back and claimed her lips with his.

Deepening the kiss, Olivia cupped the back of Elliot's head and combed her fingers through his short brown hair.

Elliot licked her lips, begging for entry, which Olivia willingly obliged to. He gently squeezed her ass causing her to moan in to his mouth as they continue to play tonsil hockey.

Finally they pulled away for air, panting, continuing to stare in to each other.

The strong love for one another still very visible in their eyes. Their love for each other grew with each passing day and although they had become parents at a young age, they didn't regret it. They were even planning on baby number two but had decided not to try until after she had finished the police academy. She would then take a year off to be with the baby and Zac, who would then be in school. Life was going great.

"We better get inside," Elliot whispered and planted a peck on her lips before reluctantly pulling away but took her hand in his.

"Yeah," she whispered back and slowly opened the front door.

They managed to take two steps in to the house before they saw Elliot's Great Aunt Polly standing there. The one who hated Olivia and always made sure she knew it, every chance she got.

"Gold digger," she muttered.

Elliot gently squeezed Olivia's hand to try stop her from walking away but Olivia shook her head and pulled her hand from his grip, walking off to find her son.

Sighing, Elliot gave his Great Aunt a hug. "Please stop insulting Olivia all the time. She's my wife and the mother of my son. Not a gold digger."

"She doesn't love you. She's mooching off you."

Elliot groaned. "She does love me and she isn't mooching," he insisted and walked off to find Olivia.

He found her sitting on the back porch swing, holding Zac and talking to Emily.

".... So where are your friends?"

"I'm meeting up with them after lunch," Emily answered and looked up, noticing a figure in the doorway. "Hey, El."

"Hey, Em. Happy birthday," he said as he walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Don't mean to be rude but could I please steal my wife for a moment?"

"Sure. Do you want me to take Zac inside?" she asked, standing up.

"Yeah, please. That would be great but keep an eye on him, he gets in to everything."

Emily laughed as her brother sat down and she picked up her nephew. "I know that, El. Relax. I do babysit him, you know. We'll leave you two to it," she said and headed inside with the three year old perched on her hip. "Let's go inside, huh, Zacy boy?"

"Aunt Emiwee?" Zac asked as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Yes, kiddo?" she asked and shut the back door behind her.

"Mommy so sad," he whispered in her ear.

Emily knew her sister in law didn't like coming to the big family meals, so she had put the sadness down to that. "What makes you think that?"

"I heared mommy cwying."

Furrowing her brows, Emily asked, "When?"

"Last nigh'."

"Really?"

Zac nodded. "Yeah, I goed to check on mommy. I heared daddy cwying with her. He telled her to come for hims."

Putting it all together, Emily burst out laughing, she couldn't help it.

Zachary looked at his aunt confused. "What funny, Aunt Emiwee?"

"Oh, nothing, Zacy. Let's see if lunch is ready, huh?"

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"You okay, Liv?" Elliot asked softly, wrapping an arm around her and taking her hand in his free one.

Olivia sighed but smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, just tired. You wore me out last night."

Elliot laughed softly and kissed her head. "Yeah well, four plus orgasms will do that to you."

"No kidding. It's the first time I've had that many in one night... We've gotta do it more often," she smirked, tilting her head to the side a little.

"Oh we will, baby, we will."

Silence embraced them for a few minutes as they sat there in each other's arms, rocking back and forth until Elliot spoke up again. "Just ignore the insults. We both know that they're untrue, gorgeous."

Olivia nodded slowly. "I know... Can we go home straight after this lunch is over? I don't want to take you away from your family... Z-Zac and I could go home after lunch and you can stay if you want to," she stuttered the last sentence nervously.

Elliot shook his head and cupped her right cheek in his left hand, caressing the apple of her cheek with his thumb. "The three of us will go home together and spend time together. And during Zac's nap, you and I can spend some mommy and daddy time together."

Olivia grinned and rubbed his chest though his shirt. "I like the sound of that."

Elliot planted a kiss on her lips andwhispered, "Let's get though this lunch then."

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Sitting at the family lunch table, Olivia couldn't help but feel terribly uncomfortable, like every other family gathering. The evil glares sent shivers down spine. To take her mind off of them, she turned to Zachary sitting in his booster seat beside her. "Use your fork, buddy, not your fingers. Daddy and I taught you how to eat properly," she gently scolded the toddler, seeing that he had put his fork aside and was eating with his fingers.

"Yes, mommy," Zac replied and picked up his little blue plastic fork.

"He was fine. You didn't have to tell him off," Elliot's Great Aunt told Olivia. "Bad mother," she then muttered under her breath.

Seeing his wife's face crumble, Elliot took her hand in his, under the table and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze, especially because he knew it was one of Olivia's worst fears. To be a bad mother for Zachary. "Don't listen. It's not true, baby," he whispered in her ear and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Polly, leave Olivia alone. She's a wonderful mother to that little boy. He's very polite and loving," Angie defended her daughter in law.

Polly grumbled something else and Olivia had had enough.

"Excuse me," she whispered, sadly and got up.

"Liv, don't go, honey," Elliot tried to persuade her to stay but it didn't work.

She picked Zac up, who had since stopped eating. "Come on, little man," she cooed and took him out on to the back deck.

Elliot was sick and tired of most of his family treating his wife like shit. Four years on and they still weren't giving her a chance.

He pushed his chair out and stood up angrily. "I don't know what you have against my wife and quite frankly, I do not care but stop insulting her and treating her like something you stepped in. She and my son are the best things that have happened to me in the last few years. Leave her alone, okay? And start to acknowledge Zachary as part of the family because that's exactly what Olivia and Zachary are. Family, okay?" he snapped at them before heading outside to Olivia and Zac.

He found Olivia and Zac sitting on the porch swing. "Liv? You want to head home?"

Looking up at Elliot, Liv licked her lips and wiped her away her tears. "I can't take you away from your family, El."

Elliot leaned over and kissed her nose. "I'm sick of them treating you like crap, gorgeous, and I just told them that. I should have done it years ago. Come on, let's go home," he said and helped her up with Zachary on her front.

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Laying in bed after just making love, Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist and pulled her close. "You okay, baby? You're quiet," he asked concerned and kissed her bare shoulder blade. She was never this quiet after they made love.

Olivia sighed. "Yeah."

"That doesn't sound too convincing," he whispered and gently turned her over on to her back, so that she was facing him. "What's wrong?"

Olivia sniffled. "Am I keeping you from your family? Do you regret falling in love with me?"

In response, Elliot put his finger over her lips to stop her rambling. "Shh. You are not keeping me from my family, you and Zac are part of my family. And as for regretting falling in love with you..." He kissed her passionately on the mouth and ran his tongue over her lips before slowly pulling away. "Baby, you're my wife and the mother of my handsome, intelligent but stubborn son. Do you think I regret falling in love with you? We make love just about every night. So, seriously do you think I regret you or Zachary, beautiful?... Answer me, Olivia."

Olivia sighed. "No, I don't think so. I love you, El, but we better get dressed. Zac should be awake again by now."

Suddenly there was a soft, slapping sound on the bedroom door followed by a voice. "Mommy! Daddy! I hungwy!"

Laughing, Olivia buried her head in to Elliot's bare chest. Zachary was so predictable.

He had his own little schedule and he tried to followed it every day exactly to a tee.

Running his fingers through Olivia's long, soft, dark brown hair, Elliot called back to Zachary. "Just give mommy and daddy a minute, champ. Go play for a couple minutes."

They heard their son groan and stamp his feet angrily. "But I hungwy!"

Olivia sighed and reluctantly got up. "Hang on, baby. Mommy's coming," she told Zac and quickly got dressed.

She opened the door and found Zac holding on to himself and wriggling around.

"You need to use the potty, little man?" she asked, taking his hand in hers.

Zac nodded. "I gotta go bad, mommy."

Being used to him not telling her until it was nearly too late, Olivia said, "You need to tell me before you need to go badly, buddy, or go by yourself. Otherwise you can have an accident."

"Okay, mommy."

"Okay, let's go then before you do," she said and quickly guided him to the bathroom.

Zachary did this thing and Olivia helped him wash his hands before they headed in to the kitchen.

Elliot had set up the table with a plate of cookies, two glasses and a sippycup of milk.

"Wow, I forgot we bought those cookies last week," Olivia laughed, sitting Zac in his booster seat at the table.

"Cookie!" Zac exclaimed, trying to reach the plate in the center of the table.

Laughing, Olivia said, "Hang on, monkey boy."

She grabbed a cookie and broke it in half before she passed Zac the slightly smaller piece. "Here you go."

"Thank you, mommy," Zac said, taking the piece.

"You're welcome, kiddo," Olivia said and smiled, feeling Elliot entwining his fingers with hers and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Their life was great, perfect even, at this current point in time and Olivia hoped it would stay that way but with their track history, she wasn't sure if it was possible.

"Liv, you okay?" Elliot asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Clearing her throat, Olivia nodded and gave Elliot's hand a gentle squeeze. "More then okay. Still can't believe how quickly Zac is growing. I still remember the night he was born so clearly and I can't believe it was three years ago already."

Elliot leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "I can't believe it either but he's healthy and growing up well, babe, and eventually we'll have another baby and Zac will be a big brother. He'll love that. Things are great right now, let's cherish it while the times are great, it will help us to work though the rough times again," he said as they both watched their son munching on the cookie and drinking milk in between. Elliot then put his hand on her near flat belly and rubbed a couple soothing circles. "I can't wait to see you pregnant again. Your belly so full of life. The kicking and rolling around. Putting my ear to your belly to hear what the baby is up to."

Olivia smiled and rested her forehead against his, kissing his nose. "I can't wait either," she whispered and took a bite of the half of a cookie before giving Elliot the other half of it. "I can't wait either..."


	32. Chapter 32

**Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Sitting on the couch, Olivia was in shock as she stared at the little white stick in her hand. It had turned blue. According to this stick, she was pregnant. This was not what she and Elliot had planned. She still had five months of college left. They weren't planning on baby number two till after she'd finished in the Police Academy.

She sighed and put the pregnancy test on the coffee table in front of her.

"Mommy?"

Olivia looked up to see four year old Zachary walk in to the living room. "Hey Kiddo," she greeted him. "Where's daddy?"

"I'm right here, babe," Elliot said, closing the apartment door.

"Hey, how was the basketball game?" she asked, trying to keep her voice normal.

"It was so cool, mommy," Zac replied grinning.

"That's good," Olivia told her son and smiled sadly, giving him a hug.

Elliot could sence that something was wrong, then he saw the positive pregnancy test set on the coffee table. "Hey buddy, go play in your room for a little while. Mommy and daddy need to talk."

Olivia knew that Elliot had seen the test, it wasn't like she was trying to hide it anyway.

"Okay," Zachary replied and went in to his bedroom without complaint.

Sighing, Elliot sat down on the couch beside his wife. "Are... Are you p-pregnant?"

Olivia pursed her lips together as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Yes, according to that, I am. Still need to get Dr. Calibee to confirm it though," she whispered.

Elliot nodded slowly. He was also in shock. "Um... Okay."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

In response to Olivia's sobbing, Elliot wrapped his arms around her and kissed the crown of her head. "Hey, hey, baby, you've got nothing to apologize for. I'm just in shock. If the doc confirms it, then we'll take it as it comes."

"We didn't plan on another one yet though."

Elliot tried to think of something to say to calm her down. He kissed the top of her head again and whispered in her ear, "Maybe God thought we were ready for another one, beautiful. We'll make it work. Money will be tight but we'll make it."

Olivia nodded. "I better make a doctors appointment then," she whispered and reluctantly extracted herself from her husband's arms.

"I'll go check on Zac," Elliot said and headed toward the bedrooms.

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After scheduling an appointment with her OB/GYN in about two hours time, Olivia couldn't help but overhear the conversation between her husband and son. She could hear Elliot casually mention about the possibility of a new baby in the house, to see how Zac would react.

"So buddy, how would you feel about being a big brother one day?" he asked and gently placed a block on top of one Zac had already placed.

Zachary grinned. "I get a baby brother or sister?" he asked excitedly.

"Maybe, Zac. Mommy is going to go see the doctor and the doctor will tell mommy if she has a baby in her belly."

"I want a baby brother or sister, daddy. I do, I do."

Elliot smiled. "That's good. But if mommy has a baby in her belly, your baby brother or sister most probably won't be here will after your birthday, champ, so you'll be in kindergarten and they won't be an instant playmate, but mommy and I will let you help out with the baby, okay? And when the baby comes, you'll probably have to stay with Grammy and Emily until they bring you to the hospital to see mommy and the baby."

Zachary nodded, trying to absorb all the information that his daddy was telling him. Elliot would most probably have to tell him again later anyway.

Hearing just how excited Zac was, let Olivia breath a little easier. A weight was lifted off her shoulders.

She just hoped that if she was pregnant, when the baby was born, he didn't turn and start to be jealous of his younger sibling.

Smiling, she walked toward the bedrooms and leaned on the door frame, watching Elliot and Zachary playing with building blocks, slowly building a tower with them, in the middle of Zachary's bedroom floor.

The bedroom walls were still painted the same and the carpet was still the same from when he was a baby but he now had a bed with rails to keep him safe and his toys were all different and new to be suitable for his age.

"Hey guys."

Both of her men looked up at her with a smile.

"Hey baby," Elliot replied and got up. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Hey mommy," Zachary replied and went back to his blocks.

Resting his forehead against Olivia's, Elliot asked, "Did you make an appointment?"

"Yeah, it's at 3:30," she informed him.

Nodding, Elliot kissed her on the lips. "Okay, we better start getting ready to go then."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "Can you please get Zac ready?"

"Sure, honey. I'll be okay," he tried to assure her again. "We'll take it as It comes and we'll get by." He pecked her on the lips again and headed over to Zac's drawers. "Come on, Zacy boy. We have to get ready," he told him as he grabbed out some clothes.

Zachary got up and packed his toys back in his toy box, which he had be taught to do when he was finished with his toys, as Olivia walked in to the master bedroom."

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Sitting in the waiting room of her OB/GYN, Olivia tried to read an out-dated magazine but found herself watching Zachary play at a little green plastic table with two little girls. The older one with brown hair looked about three and the younger one with dark blond hair looked somewhere between eighteen months and two years.

Zac looked very happy playing with the girls. He looked at the little brunette with a smile and said, "Hi, I'm Zac. What's your name?"

The little girl looked up at him and smiled back, showing her clean, white, baby teeth. "Hi," she replied, "I'm Fiona."

"I like you. You're pretty," Zac told her casually and started to look through the picture book.

"He's already starting to chat up the ladies," Elliot joked and gave Olivia's hand a gentle squeeze. His voice startled her.

She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yeah, he gets it from his father," she replied distantly.

"Liv, what's wrong?" he asked concerned.

Olivia groaned and rested her head on his shoulder. "Nothing, I just feel nauseous," she whispered, not removing her eyes from Zachary still talking to the little girl.

Wrapping his arm around her, Elliot caressed her cheek. "Do you feel like you're going to be sick, baby?"

"Not yet," she whispered back.

Elliot nodded and kissed the crown of her head. "Tell me if you feel like you're going to be then, okay?"

"Okay," Olivia whispered and closed her eyes. She could still hear the little kid conversation between Zac and the little girl named Fiona and the soft caressing of her arm provided by Elliot was soothing and relaxing her.

"What's your favourite colour?" Zac asked Fiona as he looked over the crayons sitting in the middle of the table.

"Red," Fiona replied with a grin.

Zac nodded and picked up the red crayon before starting to colour in with it. "My favourite colour is green," he said and went to ask her another question but was disturbed by the girls' mother.

"Fiona. Sabrina. Come on, girls." Both girls got up and ran over to their mother.

"Zac, come on, buddy," Elliot called him over softly, still rubbing Olivia's arm.

"Mommy's asleep," Zac whispered, climbing up on to the chair beside his father.

"Not yet, kiddo," he replied, answering a question, only he would know when it came to his wife. "Mommy doesn't feel very well so she's trying to relax," he explained.

Zac nodded. "When can we go home?"

"After mommy has seen the doctor, Zac. Dr Calibee is running a little late today is all."

Finally Olivia's OB/GYN finally emerged from her office and looked up at Elliot, Olivia and Zachary. She smiled, seeing that Olivia was falling asleep as Elliot rubbed her arm. "Elliot," she spoke softly and nodded toward Olivia.

Elliot nodded back and kissed Olivia's head. "Liv, time to go in, babe."

"I don't want to move," she moaned, refusing to open her eyes.

"I know, Liv, but Dr Calibee is waiting for you," he whispered and kissed her head again.

Groaning, Olivia opened her eyes and sat up. "Alright, I'm up, I'm up."

Olivia got up as Elliot got up and helped Zac off the chair before they followed Dr Calibee down a hallway and in to her office.

"What can I do for you today, Liv?" Dr Calibee asked as the Stablers sat down and she shut the office door for privacy.

"I've been feeling ill and have missed two periods, so I took a home pregnancy test. It came up positive," she explained and sniffled.

Dr Calibee nodded. "You weren't planning on another one just yet, I remember you telling me that. Okay, honey, well let's run the standard tests and find out if you're going to be a mommy again or not," she said and started to get the items needed for a blood test. "Roll up your sleeve, Liv."

"Zachary, behave yourself," Olivia gently scolded, seeing her son start to misbehave. "Elliot, watch him, not me," she told Elliot, shaking her head.

"Sorry," Elliot apologized and picked up the four year old.

"Olivia, roll up your sleeve please," Dr Calibee asked again.

Rolling up her sleeve, Olivia said, "Sorry, Grace."

"It's okay, honey, you're still in shock, I understand," Grace replied as she tired some fabric around Olivia's bicep, to get her veins to pop out.

"No, mommy," Zac screeched, seeing the needle. Needles, in his mind, only caused pain. "No needle!" he yelled and ran over to her, only to be intercepted by his daddy picking him up.

"Whoa, kiddo. Calm down."

"No needle, mommy," he screeched again, squirming in Elliot's arms.

"Mommy is just having some blood taken for a test," Elliot tried to explain.

"No!" Zac shrieked.

Groaning, Olivia leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "El, take him out please."

Elliot nodded and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Okay, we'll just be out in the waiting room," he informed her and took Zac out.

"You okay, Liv?" Grace asked.

Olivia sighed. "Yeah, can we please just get this done? So I can find out if I'm pregnant or not because it surely feels like it," she muttered.

"Okay," Grace replied and injected the needle in to Olivia's arm, causing her to hiss in pain. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

Once the blood was drawn and the fabric was taken off Olivia's arm, Dr Calibee said, "All done. I'll call you in a day or two with the results, okay, honey?"

Olivia nodded. "Okay, thank you."

"I know that, if you're pregnant, this baby wasn't planned but aren't you a little happy?"

"Of course, I am. I just feel so nauseous right now," she replied, "I was fine this morning, it was just sudden before I just felt so run down."

"Well go home and get some rest, okay? And if you need me, call me," Grace gently told her.

Olivia stood up slowly as to keep the nausea at bay. "Yeah, I will. Thank you, Grace."

"No problem, Liv. I'm here for you, just like I have been since we meet. It's great to see that little boy again. He's growing up very healthy, it's very good to see. He's very handsome but you know that because I said it a couple weeks ago when you showed me a photo while we were out for coffee."

Olivia smiled with motherly pride. "Thank you."

"It's okay. Go home and rest, cuddle up with your hubby."

"It's hard to do with a four year old running around the apartment," she laughed lightly.

"Get Zac to cuddle up with you. Put the television on for him," Grace suggested.

"Good idea, thank you. I'll be waiting for your call."

"Take care, Liv."

"You too," Olivia replied and headed out back to her men.

She found Elliot and Zachary in the waiting room, as promised. Elliot was sitting on a seat with Zac on his lap as he read one of the children's books to him. It was such a beautiful sight, which she didn't want to disturb but all she wanted to do was do what Dr Calibee suggested. Cuddle up with her guys.

"El, Zac," she alerted them of her presence.

They both looked up with smiles and Elliot put the book down on the chair beside him as Zac jumped off his lap before he got up himself.

"Hey beautiful," Elliot greeted her, taking her hand in his. "You want to go straight home? Zac don't wander off."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I just want to cuddle up with my men. Grace suggested we have the TV on for Zac to keep him happy," she told Elliot as they walked to the car.

"Okay, I'll move it in to the bedroom," he replied and opened the passenger door for Olivia, the whole time keeping a close eye on Zac. "Here, Zac," he said and opened the door for him, "Get in your seat, bud." He closed the door behind Olivia before going through the motions of buckling Zac in his booster seat, closing the car door and getting in the driver's seat. "Okay, let's head home," he said and put the key in to the ignition.

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With the television set up in the bedroom and Zac laying on Elliot's side of the bed watching it, Elliot laid Olivia down on the middle of the mattress and he laid down behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"How's the nausea?" he asked in a whisper and kissed the side of her neck.

Sighing, Olivia closed her eyes and entwined her fingers with Elliot's. "Still bad," she whispered.

"Well let me know if you're going to be sick," he told her compassionately and rubbed her belly softly. "Close your eyes and try get some sleep."

It didn't take long for Olivia to fall asleep but unfortunately for her, it didn't take long for the nausea to overpower her either. Her eyes shot open and she could still feel Elliot holding her tightly. "El! El, I'm gonna be sick."

"Okay, okay," Elliot replied and quickly got to got up and helped her up.

As soon as her feet touched the floor, she bolted toward the bathroom.

"Zac, daddy will just be with mommy."

"Mm-hm," Zachary replied uninterested and Elliot headed toward the bathroom.

He found Olivia kneeling in front of the toilet, holding tightly on to the sides, like it was some sort of life preserver as she tossed her cookies. He sat down behind her and started to rub her back soothingly.

Once the wave of nausea passed, Olivia leaned back in to Elliot with a sigh. "After all this, I better be pregnant and not just sick," she groaned.

Rubbing her belly, Elliot kissed her head. "Oh trust me, baby, you're pregnant."

"We don't know that for sure yet, El. We won't know for a day or so," she whispered and shot back up to the toilet, moaning. Another wave of nausea was coming fast.

"Trust me, gorgeous, I bet you are," he gloated but suddenly stopped and went back in to compassionate lover mode by rubbing her back when Olivia started to be sick again.

"Get out of here. Leave me alone," Olivia ordered suddenly, leaning her head on the back of the toilet seat.

"Liv?"

"Get the hell out of here," she cried and pushed him away from her.

"Olivia, what's wrong? You didn't push me away like this when you were pregnant with Zac."

"If I am pregnant again, you got me in this mess."

"You were there too, Liv," he tried to joke but only made it worse.

"Get the hell outta here!" she screamed at him.

Sighing in defeat, Elliot got up and quietly headed out. He closed the door behind him and sat at the kitchen table to wait for her to come back out.

It took about five minutes but she finally emerged and Elliot stood back up.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, walking in to his embrace. "I just hate being sick."

Elliot rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her on the nose. "It's okay, beautiful, I know," he assured her. "Go back to bed and cuddle up with Zac while I run you a nice, warm bath. And while you're in the bath, I'll get Zac ready for bed."

"Thank you," she said and headed back toward the master bedroom.

Once Olivia was out of sight, Elliot ran his hands down his face.

_How were they going to fit a second child in this apartment? They didn't really have the money to move. They had to make it work and he knew they would. He was excited about another baby and he knew Olivia was to despite the shock and being sick._


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Olivia was moving around the kitchen making lunch while Zachary played with some toys in the living room and Elliot was at work, when the phone started to ring.

"Mommy, I get it?" Zac called from the living room.

"No thanks, kiddo. I've got it," Olivia replied and picked up the reciever. "Hello?"

"Hi, Liv, it's Grace," Doctor Calibee's voice flowed through the phone. It had been two days since Olivia's appointment, so she was ringing with her pregnancy test results.

Olivia sighed. "So, what's the verdict?"

"You're going to be a mommy again, honey," Dr. Calibee informed her.

"Thank you, Grace. It has just confirmed what I already knew deep down."

"Liv, it will be okay. You and Elliot have plenty of love to give. You and Elliot will handle it fine. You did so well when Zachary was first born despite the depression, you're a natural. Zachary is growing up perfectly, so you can do it again," Grace assured her. "It's normal to have fears."

Olivia couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, you're right. Thank you."

"My pleasure. Now, Liv, I've booked you in for tomorrow at 9:30, so tomorrow you will find out how far along you are."

"That will be great. I'll be there."

"Okay, Liv. Take care of yourself and that baby. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"I will. See you tomorrow," Olivia replied and hung up the phone.

She exhaled a deep breath and turned around, smiling when she saw Zac standing in the doorway. "Hey, baby. What do you need?" she asked, opening her arms for him.

Zachary ran in to her arms and she gave him a big, tight hug.

"Mommy, you okay?" he asked her, returning the hug. The concern was evident in his young voice.

"Yeah, buddy. Mommy needs to head to the store. Can you please put your shoes on?"

"Yes, mommy," Zac replied and walked toward the bedroom while Olivia quickly went to the bathroom.

Zachary returned, just as Olivia exited from the bathroom. His shoes on the wrong feet of course.

Olivia laughed and sat him on the kitchen table. "They're on the wrong feet, buddy."

"Oops," Zac laughed, kicking his legs.

"Stop kicking for your legs please, son," Olivia laughed with him.

Once Zachary stopped kicking his legs, Olivia quickly put his shoes on the right feet and tied them up.

"Alright, there we are. Go to the bathroom, quickly."

Zachary quickly jumped off the table with his mommy's help and ran in to the bathroom.

Waiting for her son, Olivia smiled and rested her hands on her near flat belly. She was thinking of the best way she could confirm the resutls to Elliot, even if he already knew in his heart that he was going to be a father again.

"Mommy, is there a baby in your belly?"

The feel of Zac's hand on her belly and the sound of his voice startled her.

_How long had she been standing there with her hands on her tummy, lost in her own little world?_

She cleared her throat and put her hand on top of Zac's, that was on her belly. "Yeah, buddy, there's a baby in here. You're going to be a big brother," she told him happily.

Zachary grinned. "Thank you, mommy."

"You don't need to thank me, Zac. Come on, let's go," she said and took his hand in hers.

With lunch forgotten about momentarily, Olivia and Zac left the apartment and headed for the small corner store about two blocks away.

* * *

In the store, Olivia was still holding Zachary's hand as they headed down the baby aisle. She looked at the baby items that filled the shelves. They didn't have much money to spare, so she was only going to get a couple of cheap things.

She picked up a white pacifier and a bib that said, '_I love my daddy.'_

"Mommy, can I please have a candy bar?" Zac asked, seeing two sorts of candy bars near the counter.

"Ah yeah, okay, buddy," Olivia replied and grabbed a chocolate for herself and Zac. "That's it though, Zac. Nothing else."

Zachary nodded. "Thank you, mommy."

"You're welcome, bud," she assured him and put the items on the counter to pay for them.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Stabler and Zachary. How are you today?" the young man behind the counter greeted Olivia as he put the items through.

Olivia smiled. "Good afternoon, Eric. I'm good thank you, yourself?"

"I'm very good, thank you," the man replied, putting her items in to a paper bag. "That will be five dollars and forty-three cents, Mrs Stabler."

Opening her purse, Olivia pulled out five dollars and forty-five cents. "Here you go. Thank you," she said, putting away her purse before grabbing the bag and taking Zac's hand again.

"Thank you, see you next time. Take care."

"You too," Olivia replied and headed out with Zac.

"Mommy?" Zac spoke up about a block from home.

"Yes, baby?"

"Daddy said the baby won't be born till I'm in kindergaten. So why you got baby stuff now?" he asked, curiously.

"Because I want to surprise daddy. Would you like to help me?" she asked as they stopped at a corner and looked both ways before crossing the road when it was safe.

"Yeah, yeah. Please, mommy, please," Zac exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, son," Olivia laughed, "Of course, you can. I told you that you could," she said, rubbing the back of his small hand with her thumb.

* * *

"Hey, kiddo?" Olivia walked over to Zachary, who was sitting at the kitchen table after lunch.

Zac looked up from the picture that he was colouring in. "Yes, mommy?"

"You want to make a card for daddy that tells him about the baby?" she suggested.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied enthusiastically and pushed his picture away.

Olivia placed a small piece of folded paper in front of Zac and opened it up. She had already written on the inside. "Okay, Zac, I've written what you should write. You just need to copy it underneath and then you can decorate it, okay?"

Zac really liked the sound of that. "What colour?" he asked, looking over his crayons in the plastic pencil container to his right side, on the table.

"Use all your colours, buddy. Make it colourful," she said and sat down on the chair beside him with a romance novel that she'd been reading.

Zac enthusiastically copied Olivia's writing and made little squiggly drawings on the front and inside. When he finished, he turned to his mommy, full of pride. "Mommy, finished," he exclaimed happily.

Olivia put the bookmark in the book, so she didn't lose her page and put it down on the table. "Oh wow," she exclaimed, picking up the card. "Great job, Zac. Can you tell me what you got here?" she asked, pointing to the picture that he drew on the front of the card.

Smiling, Zac started to show Olivia. "This is daddy, holding your hand. I am holding daddy's other hand and this is my baby brother or sister in your arms."

"Wow, great job, baby. Daddy's going to love it."

Suddenly the door opened, followed by a voice. "Liv, Zac!"

"Daddy!" Zac yelled and jumped off the chair, running to him.

"Hey buddy!" Elliot greeted him, picking him up. "Where's mommy?"

"In the kitchen?" he replied, pointing.

Elliot walked in to the kitchen with Zac on his hip and found Olivia putting a cup in to the kitchen sink. "Hey, baby," he greeted her with a peck on the lips.

"Hey honey. How was your day?"

"It was okay. How was yours and Zac's?" he replied, letting Zac down.

"It was very good. We have something to show you. Come sit down."

Elliot sat down at the kitchen table and saw a white shoe box. "What's that?" he asked.

Setting it in front of him, Olivia said, "Open it and find out." She smiled and watched him open it.

Zac was just as excited, watching from the seat he was standing on beside his father. "Open it, daddy, open it."

Laughing, Elliot slowly opened it and found three items. The white pacifier, the _'I love my daddy'_ bib and the card. "Oh wow," he breathed and opened the card.

It read: _'Hi, daddy. Mommy has a baby in her belly. I'm going to be a big brother and I am so excited. Love Zac. Xxx.'_ Elliot smiled. "So Grace rang and confirmed it today, huh?"

Smiling proudly, Olivia nodded and rested a hand on her belly. "Yes, she did. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to see how far along I am," she informed him.

Elliot got up and gave her a hug from behind, planting a kiss on the side of her neck. "I'll be there, babe."

"You'll miss class too though, El."

"I don't care, beautiful. You and this baby are more important," he said and rested his hand on top of hers, on her belly, entwining his fingers with hers. "I'm coming. What time is your appointment?" he asked, resting his other hand on her stomach too.

"It's at nine thirty," she told him and turned her head to kiss him on the lips. "We can drop Zac off at daycare on the way, since your mom has to go to work, go to the appointment and then head to class."

Elliot nodded in agreement. "Good plan. This will all turn out great, gorgeous, I promise."

"And I have complete faith in you."

* * *

Olivia was woken at exactly 5:20AM by a bout of morning sickness, just like she had the morning before. She sprung up out of bed, waking Elliot in the process.

"Olivia?" Elliot asked, groggily. He opened his eyes just in time to see Olivia rushing out of the bedroom, no doubt heading for the bathroom.

Elliot got up and checked on Zachary, who was still sound asleep in his own bedroom, before heading to the bathroom to support his wife. He found her kneeling over the toilet, being sick. It was mostly dry heaves now but he had a feeling that there would be a second round though, there had been the morning before.

Olivia groaned and rested her head on the back of the toilet seat, trying to spit out the aweful taste in her mouth.

Elliot made quick work of grabbing a face cloth and wetting it before sitting behind Olivia. "You going to be sick again, baby?" he asked, wiping her neck and face with the cold, damp cloth as he rubbed her back with his free hand.

Groaning again, Olivia nodded slowly. The second round was working it's way up quickly.

Being dutiful, Elliot continued to try comfort his wife as she was being sick again.  
"I hate you, Olivia whimpered in between heaves.

"I know, honey, I'm sorry," he apologized and kissed the back of her head. "You'll be saying that more when you're in labor too. But just know that I love you," he said, continuing to rub her back.

Sighing, Olivia whispered, "I love you too." That was all she managed to say before the nausea overpowered her again.

It took about half an hour but when the first vomiting session for the day ended and the toilet had been flushed, Elliot very gently scooped Olivia up off the tiled floor, like he had the morning before, and carried her back to bed. He laid her down, just as gently, and tucked her in under the covers, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'm going to get myself and Zac ready and make you some breakfast in bed before you go have a shower. It will let you rest a little more, okay?"

Olivia nodded and curled up on her side. "Thank you. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Get some more sleep," he said and kissed her again before heading out to have a shower.

* * *

Olivia woke again about an hour later to the sound of two sets of footsteps followed by Elliot's whispered voice.

"Remember mommy isn't feeling well, so wake her gently, kiddo," Elliot told Zac.

Zac nodded and very gently climbed up on to the bed, sitting by his mommy's face. He leaned over and very gently caressed Olivia's cheek. "Mommy, it's time for wakies," he whispered and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Mommy, wake up."

Sighing, Olivia slowly opened her eyes to the most beautiful face in the world. Her son's.

Zac smiled and rubbed her cheek again. "Hi mommy."

"Morning, baby boy," she greeted him groggily.

"Daddy, made you breakfast," he told her and pointed to Elliot.

Olivia looked over at Elliot. He was holding a tray of food and a glass. "Hey," she greeted him as she slowly sat up.

"Hey baby," Elliot replied and kissed her on the lips before placing the tray down on her lap. "All your favourites. Chocolate Chip Pancakes, some grapes and a glass of apple juice," he told her, pointing to each item.

Olivia smiled appreciatively as Zac snuggled in to her side and Elliot sat down on his side of the bed. "Thanks, El, this means a lot. I don't want to get out of bed."

"How about we go to your appointment and come straight back home? I can call in and say we can't make it to class for family reasons and go down there to get our work," Elliot suggested.

Olivia nodded and swallowed the bit of pancake in her mouth. "Let's wait to see how I feel after my appointment."

"Okay, gorgeous. If you still feel unwell then we'll come home" he assured her.

"Thank you," she said softly and cut another bit of pancake. "You want some?" she asked, turning to Zac.

"Yeah, yeah," Zac replied and Olivia fed him the bit of pancake.

After a little while, Elliot looked at the clock and sighed. Time was not on their side this morning. "Liv, you better have a shower and get dressed. We're running late."

"Okay," Olivia groaned and passed Elliot the tray. "Baby, get up please."

Zac moved and jumped off the bed before pretending to fly out of the room.

"I better get in to the shower, huh?" Olivia muttered and slowly got up.

"Maybe we should come straight home and get some more sleep, huh?" he suggested.

Yawning, Olivia shook her head. "Nah, I'll be okay," she insisted.

"Mm-hm," Elliot replied, unconvinced. He kissed her on the lips and nuzzled noses with her. "We'll see. Quick, get in the shower, baby."


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more. The next chapter is already completed, just needs to be typed, so the more reviews, the quicker the update.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Sitting in the waiting room with a full bladder for the ultrasound, Olivia groaned and clenched Elliot's hand.

"What is it?" Elliot asked concerned.

"How much longer? I gotta freakin' pee here," she moaned and sighed in relief when she finally saw Dr Calibee appear with a smile.

"Come on, Liv, let's get this ultrasound done, so you can relieve yourself, huh?"

"Oh thank God," Olivia breathed as she and Elliot got up.

They followed Dr Calibee down the hallway in to her office. "Hi guys. Liv why don't you change in to this gown quickly and lay down on the bed, so I can perform the ultrasound first. I'm just going to get the ultrasound machine, I'll be right back," she assured her patient and headed back out of the room, closing the door behind her, to give Elliot and Olivia some privacy.

Olivia made quick work of changing in to the gown and got on to the table.

"Okay, let's get started," Grace said as she returned, pushing in the ultrasound machine.

"Oh yes please," Olivia groaned, laying down.

Grace smiled and set up the machine. She then placed a blanket over Olivia from just below the hips down. "Pull up the gown, hon."

Olivia nodded and did just that before taking Elliot's hand in hers as he stood beside her.

"Okay, this is going to be cold," Grace warned and squirted some gel on to her belly.

Even after the warning, Olivia still couldn't help but flinch at the freezing temperture shocking the warmth of her stomach.

"Okay, let's find your little one," Grace said and ran the transducer over Olivia's stomach. "There you are. Liv, El, see your baby, right there, see?" She pointed on the screen, once she found the fetus.

"Wow," Olivia breathed, her eyes welling up. It was beautiful and she couldn't help but cry, she'd done the same when she was pregnant with Zachary.

"Judging by the size of babe, I'd say you're already about ten weeks, Liv. I'm predicting a late August or early September baby here."

"I can't wait," Olivia whispered, not taking her eyes off the screen until Elliot kissed the back of her hand, trying to get her attention. "It's beautiful, isn't it, El?"

"It's a moving figure on a screen right now, baby," Elliot laughed lightly.

"Yeah, well, it's a beautiful figure. Our beautiful figure," Olivia laughed lightly back.

"Yeah, it is," Elliot agreed and smiled, caressing the back of Olivia's hand.

"I'll print you out some pictures. Liv, you can go to the bathroom now and I will examine you next," Grace informed her, wiping the gel off her stomach quickly but gently.

"Oh yes, I like the sound of the going to the bathroom part," Olivia replied and rushed out of the room, in the direction of the restroom.

Grace laughed and passed Elliot the printed ultrasound pictures before turning serious. "I sense she's not quite as excited as she was with Zachary, although she was more scared then, which was totally understandable," she said softly to Elliot.

"She is excited... She just seems to be suffering worse morning sickness this time around and is having trouble sleeping," Elliot explained.

"Oh I see," Grace replied, slowly nodding her head. "Well for now support her as much as possible and if she gets worse or seems dehydrated and can't keep anything down, then you call me straight away, okay?"

"We will. Thank you."

"No problem. Give her massages too, it might help to relax enough to sleep," Grace suggested.

Elliot nodded. "Thank you. I will try that."

"Hey guys. Talking about me?" Olivia asked, walking back in to the room and up to Elliot, planting a kiss on his lips.

"Yeah, babe, we were," Elliot replied honestly, as she got back on the table and laid down for her exam. "We were working out how to support you during morning sickness and help you to sleep."

Olivia nodded. "Okay."

"We'll talk about it more at home, sweetheart."

"Okay," Olivia replied through a yawn.

Pulling out the stirrups, Dr Calibee said, "Put your feet in the stirrups, Liv."

With a groan, Olivia put her feet in the stirrups. She hated the gynaecological exams.

"Okay, here we go," Grace warned her before starting the procedure.

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Walking out of the doctor's office after being declared that she and the baby were in excellent health and with an expected due date of September ninth, Olivia walked toward the car park to their car with Elliot until he gently stopped her.

"What is it, El?" she asked confused, looking at him with furrowed brows.

He cupped her cheek and nuzzled noses with her before resting his forehead against hers. "Are you well enough to go to class? Have you got enough energy? You haven't been sleeping well, sweetie. I feel you tossing and turning at night," he spoke softly and compassionately.

Olivia sighed. "I am tired but we need to go to class, El. We only have two today and we've missed most of one."

"Okay, but as soon as we finish the second class, we are picking up Zac and going straight home," he told her gently and Olivia nodded in agreement.

"Will you cuddle up with me?" she asked as they started to walk hand in hand to their car again.

Elliot lifted up their hands and kissed the back of Olivia's hand. "I'll do that and I'll give you a massage, baby, how's that?"

"Oh, I like the sound of that. Can't wait till we get home. But it will depend on Zac's mood when we pick him up, El. I've noticed he's sometimes grumpy after being at daycare."

"I'll give you that massage, babe, I promise. You need some sleep for you and the baby," he promised and opened the passenger door for her.

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After Olivia nearly fell asleep half way through the second class, it finally ended and Elliot helped her to the car.

"Get in before you fall asleep on your feet, Liv," Elliot told her softly and helped her in to the passenger seat before rushing around to the driver's side and getting in.

About two blocks from the daycare, Elliot took a quick glance at Olivia in the passenger seat. She had fallen asleep but it unfortunately was a restless one.

He sighed and put his hand on her thigh, accidentally startling her out of her light, restless sleep.

She gasped and put her hand over her heart as her eyes shot open.

"It's okay, Liv, it's just me," he assured her.

"Oh God, El, you scared the crap out of me," she said, trying to settle herself down.

"I'm sorry, honey," he apologized. "I was just trying to comfort you in your sleep. You were restless," he explained to her.

"Oh," she replied shortly and yawned.

Elliot pullled in to the daycare car park and parked the car. Turning off the engine, Elliot said, "Stay here, beautiful. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Olivia whispered, closing her eyes again. She was so damn tired.

Elliot took off his belt and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll lock the doors and be right back," he informed her and got out of the car.

He headed in to the noisy building. He went straight for the room, which he knew his son was in and found him at the colouring/drawing table, like usual. They had an artistic son. He was always colouring or drawing and much preferred to read a book with Olivia or Elliot, then to watch television most of the time.

Elliot and Olivia could see their son growing up very intelligent and they hoped that he didn't follow in their footsteps by having a child so young. Although they didn't regret him or what they did.

"Zac!" Elliot called to the four year old as he walked over to the hooks and grabbed Zachary's little green backpack with action figures on it.

In an instant, Zachary abandoned his drawing and got up. He was grumpy.

Elliot could see him stomp over to him. "Hey buddy."

"Hi, daddy," he greeted his father softly.

"Hi Jessica. Was he okay today?" he asked the daycare worker.

"Yeah but he has been a little grumpy today and asking for his mommy," she explained.

Elliot nodded and picked Zac up, perching him on his hip. "Okay. Thank you. See you on Wednesday."

"See you then," Jessica replied and went to a group of kids at the playdoh table.

"Let's go home, kiddo," Elliot whispered, rubbing Zac's back and started to head out after signing Zac out.

"Where's mommy?" Zachary asked, snuggling his head in to the curve of his father's neck.

"Mommy's in the car, waiting for us," he said and pointed to the car. "See, champ?"

Zac lifted his head and looked. Upon catching sight of his mommy, his face lit up brightly. "Mommy, mommy. Mommy's asleep," he stated, tilting his head a little in confusion.

"Yeah, mommy still isn't feel very well," Elliot explained and unlocked the car.

"So mommy can't colour with me?" Zachary asked sadly as Elliot opened the passenger door.

Elliot sat Zachary in his booster seat and buckled him in. "Sorry, son, but mommy needs to sleep," he informed the four year old and shut the door before walking around to the driver's seat.

"Mommy, mommy!" Zac called sneakily as his daddy walked around the car.

Olivia startled awake and turned around in her seat to look at Zac. "Hey, baby," she greeted him groggily.

"Hi mommy," Zac grinned, happy to be getting his mommy's attention.

The driver's door opened and Elliot got in with a sigh, seeing that Zachary had purposely woken Olivia up. He turned and looked at Zac. "Zachary."

Zac gulped. He knew he was busted.

In response, Olivia took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze, effectively disarming him. "It's okay, El, just leave him alone. Let's just go home, I want to lay down for a while before I do some studying."

Elliot leaned over and pecked her on the lips. "Okay, baby, let's go," he said and put the key in the ignition.

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As soon as they walked in to the apartment, Zachary instantly started to beg Olivia to colour with him.

"Baby, I would but I need some sleep," she told him gently as she slowly walked toward the master bedroom, just about falling asleep on her feet.

"Mommy!" Zachary screamed angrily, stomping his feet.

Olivia was about to give in but Elliot kissed her cheek.

"Go to bed, Liv," Elliot whispered, "I'll be there in a minute."  
Nodding, Olivia headed in to the bedroom.

"Zac," Elliot said, picking him up. "Mommy is tired and unwell, she needs to rest. Remember that she has your baby brother or sister in her belly."

"Can I go colour on your bed with mommy, if I'm quiet?" he asked, slightly tilting his head.

"Yeah alright, buddy, but don't disturb mommy," Elliot said, "grab your crayons and a picture, bud."

Zachary quickly grabbed his colouring book and crayons and ran in to the master bedroom with Elliot close behind him.

They found Olivia laying there, only half asleep, watching the television, which was still in there.

"Hey baby," Elliot greeted her and she looked over her shoulder to see her men enter the room.  
"Hi guys," she whispered and smiled when they both got on to the bed, either side of her.

Zac sat down in front of her and began to colour in while Elliot sat behind her, posed to give her a massage.

"You still want that massage? I'll still give you a better one tonight with massage oil," Elliot asked softly and kissed the side of her neck.

"If it's going to help me sleep, heck yeah," Olivia murmured and yawned.

Elliot laughed and kissed the side of her neck again. "Okay," he said and started to massage her, starting with her shoulders. "Oh God, that's so good," she moaned.

Not long later, Elliot finally heard the tale tell signs that the massage had worked it's magic and his wife was sound asleep.

"Daddy, mommy's snoring," Zac grumbled unhappily at the noise.

Elliot laughed lightly. "Mommy sometimes does snore, kiddo. Usually when she's really tired and doesn't feel well," he tried to explain.

Nodding, Zac replied, "I still don't like the noise, daddy."

"Why don't you go play in your room? Or you can help me cook dinner," Elliot suggested.

"Can I help you?"

"Sure, buddy, let's go. Grab your book and crayons," Elliot told him as he got up.

Zachary quickly picked up the items and jumped off the bed, following his father.

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Elliot and Zachary were half way through cooking up Spaghetti Bolognese when Olivia appeared in the kitchen doorway, half asleep, with messy bed hair.

"Hi beautiful," Elliot greeted her with a soft kiss on the lips. "Why aren't you still sleeping?"

"I felt the absence that you and Zac left and woke up. Couldn't get back to sleep," she explained, resting her forehead against his.

"Well, why don't you lay on the couch with your book while Zac and I finish up dinner?" he suggested and nuzzled noses with her.

"Sounds like a great idea. I just might do that," she replied and grabbed the romance novel she was in the middle of reading before heading in to the living room, she was enjoying the temporary reprieve from the nausea but she knew that it would be back soon and most probably suddenly.

She laid down on the couch with a sigh and opened up the book, where the bookmark was keeping her page. Settling in to the couch, she listened to her husband and son talking and cooking in the kitchen and read a few chapters.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Here is another chapter. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Olivia woke to the feel of someone resting their head and hand on the small swell of her belly. She opened her eyes and yawned.

It was Zachary resting his head and hand on his mommy's baby bump, which sheltered his unborn sibling.

"Hey buddy. What are you doing? I thought you and daddy were cooking lunch, kiddo," she asked groggily, still half asleep.

Zachary lifted his head and looked up at Olivia. "Hi mommy. Is baby asleep?"

Olivia rested her hand on her swollen stomach and rubbed a couple soothing circles, near where Zac's hand still rested. "I'm not sure, honey. I haven't actually felt the baby properly yet. I've only felt slight flutters, like butterflies in my belly," she tried to explain to him.

"Ohh," Zac replied and leaned down to kiss his mommy's belly. "When does the baby come?"

"Baby won't be born for about another twenty-two weeks, champ. About the week you start going to kindergarten."

"Why so long?" Zac asked confused.

Continuing to rub her belly, Olivia replied, "Cause the baby needs that time to grow happy and healthy before he or she comes in to the world."

Zachary was about to reply but Elliot appeared in the doorway and cut him out.

"Zachary Isaiah..." he said in a warning tone.

Zachary gulped and turned to Elliot. "Yes, daddy?"

"Didn't I tell you to let mommy sleep?"

"Um yes, but I came to talk to baby."

Elliot sighed and approached the bed. "Sorry, gorgeous," he apologized and planted a kiss on her lips.

Olivia smiled. "It's okay, El. I wasn't completely asleep anyway. I feel fine. So glad to be eighteen weeks. Second trimester, hon. So glad the morning sickness has just about completely gone," she replied and gave him a kiss.

"You've still been tired though," he stated and pulled up Olivia's t-shirt, placing a light kiss on her belly.

"It's from studying, El. I've been getting headaches too," she admitted softly. "I think I need to get my eyes checked."

Elliot nodded and fixed her t-shirt. "Well lunch is ready, so make an appointment after lunch," he suggested and Olivia nodded.

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Sitting at the kitchen, eating lunch, it was actually pretty peaceful and quiet. Olivia and Elliot were holding their own little conversation with their eyes and Zachary sat in his seat eating and watching his parents in confusion.

He tilted his head and thought to himself, _'What are they doing? How are they doing that?'_ But then sighed._ 'How come they can do that but they can't do it with me? They never understand me unless I tell them with my words,'_ he thought and then remembered the baby growing in his mommy's belly. He took a deep breath and spoke up.

The sudden noise startled both Olivia and Elliot and they looked over at Zac.

"Sorry, baby," Olivia apologized, "what did you say?"

Zachary sighed and rested his little chin in the palm of his hand, which was propped up by his elbow on the table. "Mommy..."

"Yes, kiddo? I'm listening, what's on your mind?" she asked softly.

"Mommy, will you still love me when my baby brother or sister is born?"

Olivia and Elliot were both shocked by the question. Zachary had been so excited about the fact that he was going to be a big brother, so what was with the sudden question?

"Liv?" Elliot asked, not sure how she was going to react. She'd been a little sensitive the last few days, due to the raging hormones, making her a little tearful.

Olivia got up and picked up her baby boy and hugged him closely, allowing him to snuggle his head in to the curve of her neck. She kissed his ear and began to whisper in to it as she started to pace the rom with him, rubbing his back soothingly. "Baby, can you listen to me for a minute? Listen to what mommy has to tell you, okay?"

With a sigh, which tickled Olivia's neck, Zac nodded, but refused to release his tight grip on her. "Okay," he mumbled.

"Okay," Olivia replied and kissed his cheek. "Now, baby, I'm going to tell you something and will keep telling you until you believe me... I love you, Zachary, you're my first born. My beautiful, intelligent son. My love for you will never waver. I will love you and the baby the same, okay? Trust me, champ, daddy and I have more then enough love to give."

"That's absolutely right," Elliot agreed and wrapped his arms around the both of them, giving them both a kiss.

After standing there silently, in Elliot's arms and Zac in hers with his head still buried in the nape of her neck, Olivia noticed that Zac had cried himself to sleep.

"I think he just go a little worried, babe, but I think he'll be fine," Elliot tried to assess the situation and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, I hope that's all it was," she whispered, "I need to put him down, he's getting way too heavy."

"You want me to take him?" Elliot offered, reluctantly releasing his grip on his wife and son.

Olivia shook her head. "Nah, that's okay, honey. I can make it to his bed," she replied and started to make her way to Zachary's bedroom, with Elliot close behind.

She laid Zac down on his bed and tucked him in, placing a kiss on his forehead. "I love you so much, baby boy," she whispered and slowly backed out of the room. "I need to make an appointment for my eyes. Will you sit on the couch with me and watch television when I'm done?"

Nuzzling noses with her, Elliot smiled. "There's nothing else I'd rather do, gorgeous."

"Thank you," she replied and headed in to the kitchen to use the phone.

After making the appointment with the optometrist, Olivia sat down on the couch beside Elliot and smiled when he wrapped his arm around her and used his hand to guide her head to rest on the front of his shoulder, on his chest.

"When's your appointment?" he asked and planted a kiss on Olivia's head.

"It's on Monday," she replied, entwining her fingers with his and resting both of their hands where their thighs touched. "So in two days. At ten o'clock, so hopefully your mom can watch Zac for a couple hours."

"I'm sure, she will. We only get a week off before going back to college, baby, we need a break, especially you," he said and used his free hand to rub her belly.

Olivia smiled. "I can't wait to feel him or her move, kick, roll around and do somersaults. I loved it when I was pregnant with Zac, even though his kicks hurt right near the end. I've only felt flutters so far," she said and rested her free hand on her stomach beside Elliot's.

"I can't wait to feel the kicks either and see a limb moving when the baby rolls over in there," he said and kissed her on the lips. "Should we find out the sex this time?"

Olivia looked up at Elliot, not moving her head off his chest. "Do you want to?"

"Yeah, I do, babe, so we know what colour clothes to buy and pick out a name."

"Yeah," Olivia replied distantly.

"Well, we don't have to, if you don't want to," Elliot quickly added, catching his wife's body language.

Olivia gently squeezed Elliot's hand and shook her head. "No, I do want to find out. I'd never last that long without knowing."

"Then what is it, Liv? Talk to me," he gently coaxed.

"I miss my mom. I want to go see her... We haven't seen her since Zac was a newborn. He keeps asking me about my mom. His other grandmother."

"Do you think it's a good place for Zachary to go?" he asked, rubbing her stomach soothingly.

"It will be in the visitor's room, El... I'm sorry, I already called."

"When?" he asked, his voice void of any anger.

"Yesterday after college while you were at work. Please don't be mad," she whispered, looking straight at the television but not exactly watching it.

Elliot took his hand from Olivia's tummy and cupped her chin, moving it, so she was looking up at him. "Look at me, Liv," he said and waited till she gave him eye contact. Crystal blue blending with caramel brown. "I am absolutely not mad. She's your mother and if you want to go see her, it's completely up to you. I'm always here for you, no matter what. If you want to go, I can go with you for support or... I can stay home, it's completely up to you."

"Can you come with me please?" she asked softly.

Nodding, Elliot pecked her on the lips. "Sure, sexy mama," Elliot laughed lightly. "When you want to go?"

"I said we'd be there tomorrow afternoon after church."

"And we'll be there."

"Thank you, I love you," Olivia whispered and began to lay down, gently bringing Elliot down with her.

"You're welcome. I love you too," he whispered back and claimed her lips with his, being careful of her belly.

Just as the kissing deepened and bacame frantic, Zac bounced in to the room, recharged and ready to burn off energy again. "Mommy! Daddy!" he alerted them of his presence.

Startled, Olivia and Elliot broke apart, both sitting up and adjusting their clothing.

"Hey, baby," Olivia greeted the four year old and opened her arms for him. "How was your nap?"

"Good, mommy. What can we do now?" Zachary replied, standing in her arms.

"I'm not sure, Zac, but tomorrow, would you like to meet Grandma Benson, after church? She hasn't seen you since you were a tiny baby."

Zac grinned, showing his milky white teeth. "Yes, please, mommy. Will Grandma Benson love me like grammy does?" he asked curiously.

"She already does, champ. She thought you were so handsome when she saw you. She held you and you opened your eyes to look up at her with a yawn." Olivia smiled, remembering the memory and how she felt at the time. Proud.

"Daddy," Zac said, turning to his father, "Mommy gone dreamy eyed again."

Elliot laughed. "She loves to remember the things you did as a baby, kiddo. You're the apple of mommy's eye."

In confusion, Zac tilted his head and gulped. "Apple? Mommy going to eat me?"

"No, Zac," Elliot said in the middle of his laughter. "It's just a saying, son."

"Oh," Zac replied, nodding, and turned back to Olivia. "Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can we go to the playground?"

"Sure, lil man. Go put your shoes on," she told him and watched him go.

"You okay, Liv?" Elliot asked, cupping her cheek and pressing a kiss to her lips.

Olivia smiled. "Yeah, El, I'm great. Let's take our little man to the playground."

"And soon we'll be taking two to the playground."

Tilting her head a little, Olivia asked, "You think this one is a boy as well?"

Elliot laughed and leaned down to kiss her belly. "I do think so."

"Well, I think it is a little girl... I'll make you a bet."

"Oh yeah. What you got?" Elliot played along.

"If it's a girl, you owe me a massage every night for a month."

"Okay, and if it's another boy, I get to take you out of dinner and a night in a hotel, just the two of us and no talk of the kids."

"But I won't want to leave the kids overnight, as it is, I don't like it when Zac is away from me overnight," she groaned.

Elliot rested his forehead against hers. "Baby, please. We need a night to ourselves. We should also take a night before the baby is born."

"Before I am insanely huge," Olivia whispered. Elliot was pretty persausive.

"So a night to ourselves?"

Olivia nodded. "Before and after bub is born but it will have to be after I'm cleared to make love after the baby is born, El, so we can use the time to be intimate as well."

"Of course, beautiful. When you want to do it?" Elliot asked and Zac called to them.

Olivia sighed. "How about next week?"

"Deal," Elliot replied and kissed her again. "Okay, Zac, we're coming, son."


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Sitting in the passenger seat as Elliot drove to the jail, Olivia sighed and closed her eyes momentarily, leaning back in to the seat.

"You okay, baby?" Elliot asked, placing a hand on her thigh and rubbing it.

"Car sick," she replied simply and pulled down the visor to check on Zachary through the reflection of the vanity mirror.

Zachary sat in his booster seat, still in his church suit, and reading a picture book.

"We'll be there soon," Elliot assured her.

"I know," Olivia murmured and continued to watch Zac through the reflection of the mirror.

Zac turned a paper and looked up with a smile, sensing that his mommy was watching him. "Hi mommy."

"Hey, baby. You enjoying your book?"

Zac nodded. "Yes, thank you, mommy."

"You excited about seeing Grandma Benson?"

"Yep, yep," Zac replied excitedly.

Olivia couldn't help but smile. "Well I bet she'll be thrilled to see you, kiddo," she told him and saw him grin before going back to his book.

She placed her hands on the small swell of her tummy and started to rub it, smiling. "Should I tell my mom?" she asked Elliot softly.

Keeping his eyes on the the road ahead, Elliot asked, "About the baby?"

"Yeah," she whispered, "she won't be able to tell unless I open up my jacket cause I'm not very big yet," she laughed.

"It will happen all of a sudden," Elliot laughed, "it did with Zac, remember?"

Smiling, Olivia continued to caress her belly. "Yeah, I know...And to be honest, I can't wait."

"Neither can I," Elliot replied and quickly rubbed her belly.

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After signing in, Elliot, Olivia and Zachary were escorted down some random hallways to the visitor's room.

Olivia walked in to the room with Elliot holding one hand and Zachary holding the other, to find that Serena was already at a table waiting for them.

"Olivia, baby," Serena greeted her, standing up.

Reluctantly, Olivia released Elliot's and Zachary's hands and gave her mother a hug. "Hi, mom. How are you?"

"I'm okay, honey. How are you?"

"I'm very good."

"Hi Elliot," Serena greeted him and gave him a hug also.

"Hello Serena," Elliot replied, returning the hug.

Serena pulled away and squatted down in front of Zac. "And you, handsome, must be Zachary. You've grown so much since I last saw you."

In response, Zac clutched one of Olivia's legs but extended his other hand to his grandmother. "Hi," he greeted her shyly.

"Hello sweetheart. You're very handsome. I see parts of both your mommy and daddy in you. You're going to have the girls lining up for you," she said, caressing his cheek.

Zachary was beginning to feel a little less nervous and his grip on Olivia's leg loosened. "Hi, please call me Zac," he told her softly.

"Okay, Zac, it is." Serena smiled and looked up at Olivia. "He's very polite."

"Yes, Elliot and I want him to be very polite, so that's what we've taught him," Olivia replied proudly.

"Well, I'm very proud of you, Liv. You're handling motherhood very well."

"Well that's a very good thing for this one," she said, rubbing her stomach.

Serena's eyes opened wide in shock. "Another one? Congratulations, baby," she replied and stood up, giving her daughter a hug.

"Thanks, mom," Olivia replied, reluctantly pulling away.

Wanting his grandma's attention again, Zac pulled on her clothes.

Serena squatted down in front of him again with a smile. "What's wrong, handsome?"

"What do I call you?" he asked innocently.

"Well..." Serena said and sat down on a chair, gently sitting Zac on her lap. "What would you like to call me?" she asked and saw Olivia sit down on the chair beside them.

Zac bit his bottom lip in thought. "Well I already have a grammy, so...how about...?" He couldn't think of anything, so he turned to his mommy for help. "Mommy, you got any ideas?"

Smiling and rubbing her belly, Olivia replied, "How about nana?"

Zachary smiled back and turned back to Serena. "How about nana?"

Serena pretended to think about it before nodding. "Yeah, buddy, you can call me nana... So you want to tell me about yourself?"

"Well, my favourite colour is green, I like Spaghetti Bolognese. I like to write, draw and read with mommy or daddy. How about you?"

"I like to read and write too."

"What's your favourite colour?"

"I guess I'd have to say lilac purple."

Zac grinned. "That's mommy's favourite colour too."

"Is it really?"

"Yep and daddy's is midnight blue."

"That's so cool, kiddo."

The room was silent for a moment before Zachary jumped off his nana's lap and walked over to his daddy, confusing everyone in the room.

"What's wrong, son?" Elliot asked concerned.

"I gotta go potty, daddy, real bad."

Elliot took Zachary's hand and said, "We'll be right back, ladies." He gave Olivia a kiss on the lips and quickly guided Zachary out toward the restrooms.

Once the boys left, Serena turned to Olivia and took her hands in hers, resting them on her lap. "So how have you been, Livvy?"

Olivia smiled. "I've been really good. Motherhood's a challenge but I really enjoy it. I can't wait to meet this little one," she gushed excitedly.

"Well I'm very proud of you, angel. I'm sorry I didn't give you a better start in life though."

Olivia leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek. "You did the best you could, mom. I'm just glad that we're fixing our damaged relationship."

"Me too, Livvy. Please visit me often."

"I will, mom. I love you," Olivia whispered and gave her a hug.

"I love you too, baby girl," Serena replied, returning the hug.

Elliot and Zachary stood in the doorway, watching the mother and daughter hugging. Elliot smiled, he was glad that Olivia and Serena were repairing their relationship, despite everything that they had been though.

"Okay. Time's up," a guard told them as he approached.

Olivia and Serena hugged once more before Serena hugged Elliot and squatted down in front of Zac.

"Be a good boy for mommy and daddy, Zac. And I'll see you again soon."

"I will, nana. I love you," he replied and gave her a hug.

Trying to keep her tears back, Serena returned the hug. "I love you too, handsome. Bye," she said and stood up.

"Bye," Zac replied and took Olivia's hand.

Once Serena was escorted out, they headed back to their car in the car park.

"Mommy?" Zac asked as Olivia buckled him in to his booster seat.  
"Yes, kiddo?"

"Is that where nana lives?" he asked curiously with a slight tilt to his head.

Olivia nodded. "Yes, it is.

"Why, mommy? I didn't like it and I don't think nana did either," he informed her.

Sighing, Olivia planted a kiss on his forehead. "Can we talk about this later, buddy?" she asked and closed the car door before getting in the front beside Elliot, who was sitting in the driver's seat, ready to go.

"You ready to go?" Elliot asked and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, let's go home," Olivia replied and pulled on her seatbelt, as Elliot started up the engine.

"Mommy!" Zac whined. "Why does nana live there?"

Olivia groaned and rubbed her hands down her face. "Cause nana made a big mistake and now she's... trying to fix it," she tried to explain, hoping he would understand and not ask anymore questions.

Satisfied with his mother's response, Zac nodded and grabbed his picture book from beside him on the backseat. "Okay, mommy," he replied and started to read his story.

Olivia sighed in relief when it was clear that Zac was finished asking questions and closed her eyes, enjoying the hum of the car, soft beat of the radio and Zac reading out loud to himself.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was 9:38pm and it found Olivia and Elliot laying in bed. Olivia had her head on Elliot's chest, and his arms were around her loosely as he rubbed her back.

Feeling the flutter in her uterus, Olivia smiled and rubbed the side of her belly.

"Liv?" Elliot spoke up in the dark, the full moon outside the window providing some light.

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking," he said slowly and unsure.

"Okay..." Olivia replied, nervously, rubbing his bare chest to keep herself occupated, while she waited for him to continue.

Elliot kissed her head, feeling the sudden tension in her body. "Don't worry, baby. I'm not leaving you or anything," he assured her and felt her relax against him again.

"What is it then, El?" she asked meekly.

"I want to get a motorcycle licence," he informed her and he felt her tension again in an instant.

"No," she insisted.

"Liv?" This was not the response he was expecting that was for sure.

"No," she repeated herself still insistent. "No motorcycle licence. No motor cycle."

"Why the hell not?!" he snapped and sat up, knocking Olivia off his torso.

"Ow, you son of a bitch," she snapped back and got up out of bed.

Regretting his reaction, Elliot sighed. "Liv, baby, I'm sorry. Come back to bed," he whispered, patting the mattress.

Olivia shook her head. "I'm going to sleep with Zac tonight," she sniffled. "He'll enjoy the company."

"No, please don't, beautiful. I'm sorry," he said, jumping off the bed and tried to stop her.

She snatched her hand out of his grip and shook her head, tears silently flowing down her cheeks. The pregnancy hormones were making her overly emotional and Olivia hated it. "Goodnight, Elliot," she whispered and walked toward Zac's bedroom.

Using the soft glow from the night light, Olivia gently climbed in to the single bed behind Zac, accidentally waking him.

He turned his head and smiled tiredly at his mother. "Mommy?"

"Yeah, it's me, kiddo. Sorry for waking you, go back to sleep," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his little body. She needed his comfort right now.

In response, Zac rolled over and snuggled in to her, sighing contently.

"I love you so much, baby boy," she whispered and kissed the crown of his head, inhaling the scent of baby shampoo in his hair.

Elliot watching sadly from the doorway and whispered, "I'm sorry, baby. I love you," before heading back to bed alone.

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Olivia woke the next morning to the smell of waffles and coffee but she knew for certain that the coffee was not for her and the baby. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and went to get up but the sound of Elliot's voice stopped her.

"I know you're in Zac's bed but stay right there."

Sighing, Olivia nodded and got back in to the bed as Zac climbed back up next to her.

Elliot set a tray of waffles and a glass of apple juice on her lap before kissing her on the lips, neither concerned about the other's morning breath. "I'm so, so, sorry, baby."

Olivia put her fingers to his lips to stop him from continuing. "It's okay, honey. I'm sorry for over reacting. Stupid pregnancy hormones."

"Let's take our night alone together tonight. We can stay home or go out. I'll call my mom to take Zac."

"Yeah, I like the sound of that," she replied smiling. "Zac, you want to spend the night at grammy's?"

"Yes, please, mommy," Zac replied nodding.

Olivia kissed Zac's forehead and turned back to Elliot with a flirtatious grin. "Go make the call, my sexy husband. And we'll spend a romantic, physical night at home tonight."

Elliot laughed and planted a kiss on her lips. "I'll see if my mom can pick him up at about four. You okay with that, gorgeous?"

"Yeah, it's perfect, El. I have my eye appointment at ten, so I better start getting ready."

"Alright, I'll make the call. Eat up," he said and headed out to the kitchen to use the phone.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Sorry to my lovely reviewers for the delay, I've been busy and this chapter wasn't working out how I wanted it to but here it finally is. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Olivia had gone to her optometrist appointment alone, so as soon as she returned, Elliot asked her from the couch, if she needed to get glasses.

Groaning, Olivia dumped her purse on the kitchen counter and slumped down on the couch beside Elliot, cuddling in to him. "Yeah, I do... but only for reading, writing and watching television, oh and driving," she informed her husband and sighed.

Elliot kissed the top of her head and said, "That's okay, you'll still be gorgeous. Didn't you say your mom has reading glasses?"

"Yes, she does," Olivia replied and looked around. "Where's Zac?"

"Bathroom," Elliot told her and moments later the door fully opened.

"Mommy! I thought I heard you come home!" Zac greeted her excitedly and ran up to her.

"Hi, my sweet boy," she greeted him back and lifted him up on to her lap. "Were you a good boy for daddy?" she asked and kissed him on the cheek.

Zachary nodded innocently. "Of course I was, mommy. Wasn't I, daddy?" he said, looking at his daddy for a moment before turning his attention back to his mommy.

"You were, Zacy. Tell mommy what we did, son," Elliot played along.

"We cooked cookies, mommy," Zac told her proudly.

"You baked, Zac... You bake cookies, not cook them, baby," she corrected him gently.

"Sorry. We baked cookies," he repeated.

"You did?" Olivia asked, acting overly enthusiastically for her son's sake.

"Yeah, yeah. You're favourite ones. Chocolate chip and Maca... Macade..."

"Macadamia nuts?"

"Yeah, that's right, mommy."

"Ooh yummy. Where are they, kiddo?"

"In the kitchen," Zac replied and jumped off the couch before grabbing her hand and pulling it, causing both and Olivia to laugh.

"Hang on, lil man," Olivia said through her laughter as she slowly sat up. "Show me the cookies."

"Up there," Zac said, pointing up at the kitchen counter top.

Rubbing her small bump, Olivia said, "Ooh, yummy." She picked one up and took a bite. "That's so good. Thanks, guys."

"You're welcome, mommy."

"Yeah, mommy, you're welcome," Elliot laughed and pressed a kiss to her lips.

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Cleaning the bathroom, Olivia hadn't heard Zac come in as she'd been lost in her own little world, cleaning the bathtub with homemade chemical free cleaner. She stepped back but was startled by the yelp of pain from behind her. She turned around and saw Zachary on the floor, holding his little foot, crying.

"Oh, my sweet boy," she said, squatting down in front of him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in. You okay?" she asked concerned.

Zachary took a few deep breaths to try calm himself down but was unsuccesssful, so Olivia picked him up, giving him a cuddle. "Oh, it's okay, lil man," she assured him, rubbing his back. "I thought you were napping while daddy went to the store."

"I woke up and came to see you, mommy," she sniffled.

"Well next time, mommy is cleaning or something, let mommy know you're there, champ, cause I didn't hear you come in. You're a stealthy little guy, kiddo," she laughed and tickled his ribs.

Zac giggled in joy and Olivia wiped away the wet streaks on his cheeks from his tears.

"All better now, baby?"

"Yes, thank you, mommy," he said and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Well let's get you ready to go to grammy's," she said and carried him in to his room, silently thankful that Zac had clothes, shoes and toys at Angela's in his own room, which was Elliot's old bedroom.

Opening up the bottom drawer, Olivia asked, "Which pants you want to wear?"

"The jeans," Zac replied, pointing to a pair of blue denim jeans.

"Jeans it is," Olivia said and grabbed them out before opening the drawer above it. "Let's find a t-shirt to go with them."

Zachary looked through the drawer and pointed to a red and blue stripped t-shirt. "That one, mommy."

"The stripped one?"

"Yes, mommy."

"Okay." Olivia stood him on the floor and helped him get changed.

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Walking out of the room with Zac holding her hand, walking beside her, Olivia saw Elliot emerge from the kitchen. She hadn't heard him come back home. "Hey, when did you get home?" she asked and kissed his cheek.

"Only a couple minutes ago. Were you and Zac okay while I was gone?" he asked, picking up their son.

"God, Elliot, would you quit asking me that all the time? I'm not useless, I can take care of our son, you know?!" she accidentally snapped, startling both Elliot and Zachary with the sudden outburst. She took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "I'm going to take Zac to your mom's now. Say see you to daddy," she told him, rubbing his back.

"See you, daddy."

Elliot kissed Zac's head. "I'll see you tomorrow, bud. Be a good boy for grammy and Aunt Emily," he said and stood him on the floor.

"Come on, Zacy. Let's go to grammy's house," she told him and escorted him out of the apartment building, in to his booster seat in the car.

Watching, Olivia walked out without giving him a kiss before she left, like she usually did, Elliot sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

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He didn't mean to make it sound like he thought that she was useless and couldn't look after Zac, herself or their unborn child because he knew it certainly wasn't true. She was very capable and was a wonderful mother and wife.

Elliot sighed and decided to set up the apartment ready for their night alone together.

First, he headed in to the master bedroom and placed the bottle of massage oil on the night stand and sprinkled rose pedals on the bed and around it before he headed back in to the kitchen and started on dinner. Olivia's current favourite. Beef Stirfry with Noodles.

Just finishing dinner and setting the filled bowls on the romantically set up table, Elliot saw Olivia finally walk in and close the apartment door behind her.

Upon seeing the lovely sight, Olivia gasped. "Oh honey, this looks so wonderful. I love it," she praised him and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing a tender yet passionate kiss on his lips. "Thank you."

Elliot returned the kiss and said, "You're very welcome, baby. We both need this night." He guided her to one of the seats and pulled it out. "Take a seat, madam."

Blushing, Olivia sat down. "Why thank you, sir," she played along and Elliot pushed her in before taking his seat opposite her. Being as hungry as she was, Olivia dug right in. "Mmm," she moaned, really enjoying it, causing Elliot to laugh.

"Nice, huh?"

"Hmm, very. I love when you cook this for me. You always make it the best," she told him and rested her left hand on the table, stretching it to be as close to Elliot as she could get it.

Elliot placed his on Olivia's and entwined his fingers with hers. "I'm glad you like it. I love cooking it for you," he replied and caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.

As much as they loved their son, they were enjoying the peace and quiet and the private time to themselves.

"So, have you felt the baby kick yet?" Elliot asked.

Olivia shook her head and said, "No, still only flutters so far. I'm sure I'll feel him or her kick in about a month or so at the most."

Elliot ate some more and nodded. "I hope I can feel it the first time. I missed the first time with Zac."

"I hope you do too, El," Olivia replied and put down her fork to rub her belly, smiling. "You still think that it's going to be a boy?"

Elliot grinned. "Yes, I do. And I already have a name I like for him."

"I think it's a girl but tell me," she said, smiling, and shaking her head.

"I like the name Ryan," he told her and she nodded.

"I like it but I still think this little one's a girl," she said and ate some more stirfry.

"You got a name you like?"

Olivia shrugged. "Still looking for the perfect name which catches my eye," she replied.

"Well tell me one you really like. I bet there's atleast one," Elliot coaxed.

"Well I do like the names Emma and Julia," she confessed, smiling.

"I really like the names but I don't see a little Emma or Julia Stabler running around this apartment, baby, but we have plenty of time and it's a boy, so..." he said and finished with a small laugh.

"Not it's a girl," Olivia laughed with him. "But yeah, we have time to pick the perfect name."

The rest of dinner went blissfully before Olivia took Elliot's hand in hers and coaxed him in to their bedroom for some 'dessert'.

"Come on, handsome. Let's make full use of this night to ourselves," she purred seductively and winked.

Elliot groaned. She was turning him on and seeing that he was getting an erection made Olivia blush.

"Oh yeah, someone wants me," Olivia gloated and made quick work to get rid of Elliot's pants.

With all their clothes discarded somewhere on their bedroom floor, Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia from behind. Kissing her neck, he ran his hands down her breasts to her thighs and back up to her belly and rested his hands on her bump as he continued to tease her neck with gentle nips and light kisses.

Olivia wrapped her arms behind her, resting her hands on the back of his head as she moaned. She could feel herself getting very wet. "Oh God, El," she panted, "stop teasing me."

In response, Elliot gently turned her around and delicately laid her down on the bed. "Sit up and I'll give you a massage, gorgeous."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that. My back's been aching a bit the last couple days," she said as she sat up.

Elliot grabbed the bottle of massage oil and opened it, squirting some on his hands. "Why didn't you tell me that your back was aching, baby?" he asked and put his hands on her shoulders, beginning to massage her.

Olivia moaned in pleasure and dropped her head forward. "Oh God, that feels so good."

Continuing to massage her, Elliot kissed her neck again. "Well there's plenty more massages to come especially while you're pregnant. I want you to tell me when your back hurts, Liv, and I'll give you a massage," he told her softly.

"Oh, that sounds great, El, thank you."

"Not a problem, Liv," Elliot replied and moved down her back.

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With the massage over, Elliot laid Olivia back down on the bed, horizontal from the bed head and leaned over her, his knees on either side of her hips.

He reached down, cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her nose. "You ready?"

Olivia nodded, looking in to his eyes.

"Then guide me in, baby," he whispered, giving his wife full control of their love making.

Olivia reached down and guided him in, exhaling deep puffs of airs as her body accepted him.

"You okay?" Elliot asked concerned and rested his forehead against hers.

"Yeah, just a little too quick," she assured him in a whisper.

"Tell me when you're ready."

Olivia nodded and when she was ready, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed him deeper in to her.

On cue, Elliot began to trust in and out of her slowly, gradually picking up the pace as they both worked their way up to bliss.

"Baby, let go, I'll be right behind you," Elliot grunted in her ear, continuing to move in and out of her body, being extra cautious and gentle, not wanting to risk hurting their unborn child.

"Not yet," she panted, "Last... longer."

"We have all night. We can go for a second round," he told her breathlessly and kissed her hard on the lips.

Breathing heavily, Olivia tried to focus on something, so she didn't orgasm yet, but that all went out of the window when she felt her husband's hand drift south.

His hand quickly found the place where he knew would make Olivia lose it.

Teasing her swollen clit, Elliot tried hard not to explode, listening to her moan and whimper in his ear as he felt her inner walls clench his member.

Olivia cried out in ecstasy with her orgasm, milking Elliot's with it.  
"That was instense, beautiful," he said, coming down from his high, leaning over her, keeping his weight off her tummy.

"Oh yeah. We don't have to worry about waking Zac, so it's better but I wouldn't trade him for the world."

"You don't need to explain to me, Liv, I understand what you're saying," he said and kissed her on the lips. "Tell me when you're ready for more," he told her softly as he slid out of her body and laid down behind her, spooning her.

"Mm-hm," she mumbled, tiredly. Her eyes drooping quickly.

The room fell silent as they both had a post love making nap until she woke up and straddled Elliot, ready for round two. She rubbed herself over his crutch and grinned when she felt him begin to harden again beneath her.

Elliot groaned and opened his eyes, smirking when he gained eye contact with her. "Oh hello. Ready for round two, huh?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands resting just above her butt.

"Yep," Olivia whispered seductively and leaned over to kiss him. "Make love to me, handsome."

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After round two, Olivia and Elliot both fell back to sleep.

Olivia was practically sleeping on top of Elliot, not as close as she would have liked though due to her bump. Her head resting on Elliot's chest and arm flung over his stomach. His arms wrapped around her loosely.

Suddenly the phone began to ring, startling the both of them.

Groaning, Olivia looked up at the alarm clock. "2:06AM?!" she grumbled and went to get up but Elliot stopped her.

"I'll get it, babe," he said and got up to answer the phone, not caring that he was still naked from their two love making sessions.

After hanging up, Elliot returned to the master bedroom to get dressed quickly.

"Who was it?" Olivia asked, half asleep.

"It was my mom. Zac's got an upset belly. He's begging to come home."

Olivia nodded and snuggled in to her pillow more, rubbing her stomach. "Well bring my baby boy home," she whispered and went back to sleep.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Just a little reminder that this story is currently set in the 1980's. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Olivia wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep after quickly dressing, when she was woken but upon opening her eyes and catching sight of her son, she suddenly didn't care.

Zachary was standing beside the bed, gently shaking her with tears in his eyes. "Mommy? Mommy, please wake up," he begged in a whisper.

"I'm awake, baby. Where's daddy?" she asked softly and reached up to caress his cheek.

"He's in the kitchen, making something for my sore tum-tum. Can I please cuddle with you and baby?" he asked politely.

"Sure, Zacy," Olivia replied and moved back to make room for him before lifting up the covers. "Hop in."

Zachary climbed up and in to the bed. "Thank you, mommy," he said and snuggled in to her.

"Be careful of the baby, honey," she gently warned him when he accidentally knocked her stomach.

"Sorry," he apologized and sneaked under the covers, where he kissed his mommy's baby bump, sheltering his unborn sibling before heading back up to see his mommy's tired smile.

"Sleep now, little one. It's late and you need to sleep off your upset tum-tum."

Walking in to the bedroom about ten minutes later, Elliot smiled when he found his wife and son sound asleep, cuddled up together. He placed the drink, which he had made for Zac and put in an old sippy cup to avoid a spill, on to the nightstand, and went to walk around the bed to climb in behind Olivia when he noticed Zachary looking a little pale before his eyes shot open and he whimpered.

"You going to be sick, Zac?"

Zachary nodded and sat up, so Elliot picked him up and rushed him in to the bathroom, getting him there just in time for him to be sick in the toilet.

"Okay, bud?" he asked Zac after a few minutes.

Crying, Zac nodded. "Can we go back to bed with mommy?" he asked as he used his step stool to flush the toilet.

"Sorry, Zacy, but I think you should sleep in your own bed."

"Why? I want to sleep with mommy," Zac replied angrily and stomped his little feet.

Elliot squatted down in front of Zac and said, "You could have something that mommy could catch and it could be bad for the baby, son. I'm sorry," he tried to explain to him.

Still unhappy with it, Zac just sniffled and nodded.

"Come on, let's head to bed. I'll get you that drink and tuck you in, champ," Elliot said and picked him up.

He sat Zac on his bed before heading in to the master bedroom to get the drink.

"Is Zac okay?" Olivia asked groggily, her eyes still shut. "Where is he now?"

"He threw up a couple times but he'll be fine. I put him in his bed, so you don't catch something he might have. It could be harmful to the baby," he explained and kissed her forehead.

Olivia yawned and rolled over to go back to sleep. "Okay," she murmured.

Elliot grabbed the drink and headed back to Zachary's bedroom. "Zac, what did you eat at grammy's house?" he asked as he sat down on the bed and gave Zac the drink.

Zac drank some of it and gave it back to Elliot. "Um, I had grammy's yummy shepherd's pie and then some strawberry ice cream," he informed his daddy and laid down again.

"Did grammy and Aunt Emily eat them too?"

"Grammy did..." he replied and yawned, "...but Aunt Emily wasn't there, she was with that man again."

Elliot nodded, knowng he was talking about Emily new boyfriend. "Okay, try get some sleep, son," he said and kissed his head before getting up and going back to bed.

"Liv?" Elliot whispered, wrapping his arms around Olivia. "Baby?"

"Mmm?" Olivia murmured, half asleep, snuggling back in to his body.

"Did Zac eat anything different to you?" he asked, thinking that maybe Zac had food poisoning.

"No," she whispered, still half asleep. "Did you feed him while I was out?"

"Yeah, I opened that new box of muesli bars that you bought for him. I didn't have one," he remembered.

"Well throw them out, just in case," she told him and exhaled a deep breath before going back to sleep.

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Olivia woke again to the sound of something smashing. She noticed that Elliot was snoring on the other side of the bed, meaning it was either Zac or someone had broken in to their apartment. She practically bounced out of the bed and checked Zachary's bed, it was empty, so she went through the living room, in to the kitchen.

Zac had dropped a glass cup. Hearing foot steps, he looked up, startled. "Mommy..." he whispered and went to walk over to her, to give her a hug.

"Stop!" Olivia screeched.

Zachary stopped in a instant and looked up at her with tears in his eyes as his bottom lip began to quiver. "Mommy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop it."

"It's okay, buddy. Just stay there or you'll get glass in your feet. I'm just going to get some shoes on. You stay right there. Do not move, Zachary. I mean it."

"I promise," Zac sniffled and nodded.

"Okay, I'll be right back, baby," Olivia replied and rushed toward the master bedroom but seeing a pair of Elliot's running shoes near the front door, she stopped and quickly slipped them on her feet before rushing back toward the kitchen. "Come on, handsome," she cooed and picked Zachary up.

At the sight of blood on the linoleum floor under one of his feet, she gasped.

"Do your feet hurt?" she asked concerned as she carried him to the couch.

"A little," Zac admitted.

Olivia sat him on the couch and checked his feet. "Oh, Zac, you have a shard of glass in your foot." She sat on the coffee table anf grabbed some tweezers. "This is going to hurt, baby. But I will talk to you to get your mind off it."

Zac nodded.

"What were you doing up anyway? It's very early," she asked. It had been 5:09AM when she got up.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied and yelped. Olivia had just pulled out the glass.

"Good boy, all done... Why didn't you wake me or daddy then, kiddo?"

"I went in your room and wanted to but daddy was cuddling you and snoring very loudly," he replied.

"You've heard daddy snore louder then that and you know you can wake me or daddy up anytime," she gently told him, holding a tissue to his foot to stop the bleeding.

"Ow, mommy, that hurts," Zac whimpered and pulled his foot away.

"What's going on out here?" It's too early," a hoarse voice appeared from the doorway, which led to the bedrooms.

Olivia looked up at Elliot and slowly got off the coffee table. "Zac accidentally dropped a glass cup."

Nodding, Elliot looked at Zac and asked, "You feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you, daddy," Zac replied and jumped off the couch.

"Why didn't you wake me or mommy? We could've got you something."

"You and mommy were cuddling. You looked... um... you looked.... I didn't...." he trailed off trying to think of the word he needed.

"You didn't want to disturb us? Well, bud, you can't do everything for yourself yet, so you need to ask me or mommy, okay?"

"Okay, daddy. I'm sorry for dropping the cup."

"It's okay. Why don't you and mommy go back to bed for awhile. I'll clean up the broken glass and I'll be there soon, okay?" he said and kissed Olivia on the lips.

"Okay. Don't take too long," Olivia replied and she and Zac headed in to the master bedroom.

Entering the master bedroom about twenty minutes later, Elliot found Zac sound asleep, curled up in front of his mother but Olivia, on the other hand, was just laying there wide awake.

Seeing him enter the bedroom, courtesy of the shine from the full moon coming through the window, Olivia smiled.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey, baby," he replied, just as softly, and climbed in to bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her and Zac.

"Why aren't you asleep?" he asked and kissed the back of her neck.

"Can't sleep," she mumbled around a yawn.

"You're yawning though," Elliot laughed lightly and kissed her neck again.

"I know," she whispered, "but I can't sleep."

"You want me to put some soothing music on for you?" Elliot offered.

"Yeah, that would be nice, El, thanks, hon," Olivia whispered, tiredly.

"Sure, sweetheart," Elliot said and slowly got up out of bed.

He walked around to her side of the bed to the nightstand, where he swapped the tape, which was in the tape player, to one of Olivia's soothing sounds ones. He pressed play and went to tip-toe out of the room but his wife's voice stopped him.

"Come back to bed, El."

Without a word, Elliot got back in to bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her and Zac again.

"El?"

"Yes, babe? You should try get some more sleep," he told her.

"I love you," she murmured and closed her eyes, finally beginning to relax, thanks to the calming sounds softly filling the room and the gentle caressing provided by Elliot.

"I love you too. Sleep now," he replied and kissed the back of her neck again as he continued to hold her while she drifted off to sleep.

Once he knew that Olivia was sound asleep, Elliot gently got up out of bed and tip-toed out of the room and closed the door behind him as to not wake his wife and son. He decided to finish some much needed cleaning in the apartment, which Olivia had started the day before but didn't get to finish.

He decided that he would start in Zac's bedroom. Being as quiet as he possibly could, knowing Olivia was a pretty light sleeper, Elliot picked up some toys, that Zachary had left out on the floor and then changed Zachary's bed linen to be washed. He'd vacuum when Olivia and Zac woke up again.

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Elliot had just finished cleaning the whole apartment except for the vacuuming when he saw Zachary walking in to the living room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he yawned.

"Hey buddy."

"Hi daddy," Zac replied, his face lighting up at the sight of his daddy.

Picking up his son, Elliot kissed his head. "Is mommy awake yet?"

Zac shook his head. "No, mommy is snoring."

"Loudly?"

"Nope. Mommy is snoring quietly," he replied. "I gotsa go toilet, daddy."

Elliot stood Zac on the floor and tapped his little bottom. "Off you go then. Quickly, bud."

Giggling, Zac ran in to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Elliot walked in to the master bedroom and found Olivia still sound asleep, softly snoring. He noticed she tended to snore more often while she was pregnant for some reason. Very gently, he climbed in behind her and wrapped his body around her until she yelped and moved away.

"Oh God, your feet are freezing, El, what were you thinking?!" she asked, slowly turning over to face him. Her eyes wide open, looking at him, the shock of his cold feet had fully woken her.

"I was hoping you could warm me up," Elliot laughed lightly.

"I can think of other ways to do that," Olivia whispered and climbed up on to him, straddling him.

"Oh, I like the sound of that," Elliot whispered back, wrapping his arms around her waist and gently brought her down to kiss her.

Olivia could feel Elliot harden beneath her and smiled. "Make love to me," she whispered in his ear before licking along the outside of it.

"Baby, we can't," Elliot panted and Olivia rubbed herself over him.

Olivia moved up and looked at him, frowning, but before she could ask why, they were disturbed by a small bundle of energy running in to the room.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Zac giggled, running in and climbing up on to the bed, oblivious to what he had just disturbed.

Sighing, Olivia got off of Elliot and laid back down on the bed, smiling for Zachary's sake. "Hey, baby," she said and tickled his ribs.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Zac giggled and squirmed in excitement.

"What do you want to do today?" Olivia asked, after she finished tickling him.

"Go to the playground," he replied, happily.

"Playground it is."


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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At twenty-four weeks pregnant, Olivia had started to have trouble sleeping, and this night was no different.

After getting annoyed at just laying in the dark, just listening to Elliot's breathing and the second hand on the alarm clock ticking away, Olivia decided to wake him up to talk. She turned on the lamp and started to shake him awake.

"El, wake up please," she whispered.

Groaning, Elliot turned over to face her and opened his eyes. "What? What time is it?" he asked, half asleep and angry at being disturbed.

It had been a very long day. A full day at college, then four hours at work and exams were only about a month away.

"It's 12:04," Olivia replied, rubbing her baby bump, trying to soothe the restless child within. A child, which they still didn't know the sex of because the baby has been in the wrong position during the ultrasound.

"Midnight?!" Elliot squawked. "Olivia, go to sleep, we have class in the morning. Can't it wait for goodness sake?!"

Olivia sighed and Elliot sat up, although still disgruntled at being woken at an ungodly hour during the school/work week.

"What is it?" he grumbled.

"El, I'm twenty-five weeks pregnant," she started, craddling her belly with her left hand and continuing to rub it with her right. "We really need to find a bigger apartment and start a nursery." He hadn't mentioned it, so she decided it was time that she did.

"Olivia, we can't. We have bills that just keep reeling in," he replied. "We have the rent, electricity, gas, water, Zac's daycare bill, the car. We barely have enough money as it is with just the three of us," he stressed a little too harshly and sighed. "And when you have this baby, we'll also have the hospital bill, that we can't afford."

Biting her bottom lip, Olivia nodded and laid down again with her back to him. "Night, Elliot," she said emotionlessly and turning off the lamp.

Elliot sighed and laid down. "Liv, baby," he whispered and wrapped his arms around her, only for her to move away, right to the end of the bed. "Olivia, stop, come back here," he gently scolded and moved over, wrapping his arms around her again, only for her to get up off the bed. "Olivia," he groaned. "Where are you going?"

Olivia pulled a pair of sweat pants on over her panties and said, "To get something to eat, the baby and I are hungry... Is there enough food or do I need to sell this necklace to feed me and the baby?" she asked sarcastically, playing with the necklace around her neck, and headed for the door.

"Olivia, get back here," Elliot ordered softly and went to get up but Olivia's cold voice and the wave of her index finger stopped him in an instant.

"Don't even think about following me, Stabler. I don't want to see you right now," she told him and stormed out of the bedroom.

Elliot sighed and ran his hands though his short brown hair.

The money issues were getting to them. The money was tight already and they still needed to buy things for the baby.

* * *

Elliot must've fallen asleep because he woke to the sound of the alarm set for Olivia to have time to get Zachary up and ready. She insisted on being the one to get their son ready for his day.

He was expecting Olivia to turn it off but when it kept going, he turned over to find his wife's side of the bed empty. He sighed.

It was obvious that she hadn't come back to bed.

He turned off the alarm and got up, heading toward the living room. He had to find Olivia.

Olivia was asleep on the couch, on her back. It was a restless sleep though. The purple blanket was scrunched up at her feet and her singlet was scrunched up under her breasts, leaving her swollen abdomen bare.

He tip-toed over to her and leaned over to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Liv, wake up, beautiful," he spoke softly, as to not startle her.

Olivia grumbled something incoherent before sighing and opening her eyes. "Hi," she whispered, seeing her husband leaning over her.

"Hi. I'm sorry about last night," he apologized. "The money issue is just stressing me out."

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes as she slowly sat up and wrapped her arms around Elliot.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry, I can't be a better father and husband," he said, embracing her.

"It's not your fault," Olivia sobbed in to Elliot's neck. "You're a great father and husband."

"Then why the tears?" he asked concerned, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"Because I'm a terrible mother," she cried, harshly.

"What?!" Elliot asked in shock. "What on Earth makes you think that, Olivia?"

"Cause I've stuffed everything up for Zac... And this baby before he or she is even born yet."

Elliot gently pulled Olivia back and cupped her face in his hand, leaning his forehead against hers. "You, my love, have not stuffed up anything. Zac is happy and healthy and..." he started and rested a hand on her stomach, which was bigger then it was at this stage with Zachary, although the doctor assured them that there was only one in there. "...this little one is active and growing big, healthy and strong," he assured her sternly.

Olivia smiled. "Yeah, this little one is making my stomach bigger then what Zac did and he made me big too."

"What did I do, mommy?" Zachary asked. His voice startling his parents out of their shared reverie.

"Come here, baby," Olivia said and opened her arms for him, once Elliot sat down on the couch beside her.

Zachary walked in to her arms and instantly put his hands on his mommy's tummy. "Mommy, baby is moving," he laughed.

Olivia laughed with him and put her hand over his much smaller one. "Yes, honey, the baby is up and playing around. The baby is doing his or her morning aerobics," she joked. "I remember when you were in my tummy. I could almost set a watch by you. Most morning you started to kick and move around at about the same time, waking me up, and daddy too, some mornings when he had his hands on my tummy," she reminisced.

"Really?"

"Yeah, sweetie. About five thirty nearly every morning, right, daddy?"

Kissing Olivia's cheek, Elliot nodded. "That's right, mommy," he replied and put his hand on her stomach beside her's and Zac's.

Zachary always got a thrill out of feeling his unborn brother or sister move around in his mommy's belly. And loved when Olivia read portions of the pregnancy book to him. The section for every week, about the baby. She sometimes even got the measuring tape out to show him how big the baby would be and items to show how heavy the baby should be.

Olivia and Elliot were trying to keep him as involved as he could be.

"Oh no, we're running late," Elliot spoke suddenly and they all got up. "I'll get Zac ready. Go shower, babe," he told Olivia and planted a kiss on her lips.

Olivia nodded and quickly headed for the shower.

* * *

Standing naked in front of the full lengthed mirror that night, Olivia ran her hands over her tummy, then her hips, and sighed.

"What is it, beautiful?" Elliot asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his large hands on her stomach.

"I have more stretch marks then I did with Zac. It looks really gross," she groaned and leaned in to Elliot before moving to grab the t-shirt that he had just taken off but he stopped her.

"No, baby, you're so beautiful with or without the stretch marks," he assured her and ran his hands delicately over her belly and stretch marks until Olivia started to giggle. "What is it?" he asked laughing.

"You're tickling me," she giggled again and moaned when he started to place kisses and gentle nips on her neck. "Oh God, El, make love to me."

Elliot began to pull her toward the bed but they were stopped by a scream.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"You want me to get him?" Elliot offered.

Grabbing and putting on a pair of panties and Elliot's t-shirt, which was long on her, Olivia said, "No, it's okay, he's calling for me. I'll be back."

"Mommy! Mommy, where are you?"

"I'm here, champ," Olivia assured her young son and turned the overhead light on.  
Zac was sitting up in bed, crying.

"Oh, my sweet baby boy," Olivia cooed and sat down on the bed.

Carefully, Zac cimbed in to her lap and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You have a nightmare?" Olivia asked, rubbing his back soothingly.

Zachary nodded. "Yes, mommy, it was scary."

"You want to tell mommy about it?"

"No. No talky about it."

"Okay, baby. Would you like a cup of chocolate milk, then sleep in mommy and daddy's bed?"

"Yes please, mommy."

"Okay. Mommy needs to talk to daddy, I'll be right back and we'll get some milk," she said and quickly headed back in to the master bedroom.

"Honey, get some clothes on. Zac and I are getting some chocolate milk and then coming to bed."

Nodding, Elliot got up and grabbed his boxer shorts. "Okay, baby. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he just had a nightmare but refuses to talk to me about it," she said and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Don't wait up. We'll be here when we're here."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too," Olivia replied and headed back to Zachary. "Okay, come on, kiddo," she said, stretching her hand out to him, which he took instantly.

Zac was a well known mama's boy and he didn't deny it. When he was called a mama's boy, he'd reply with, 'I love my mommy. So what?'

Sitting on the couch with Zachary on her lap, drinking chocolate milk, Olivia rubbed his back soothingly. "You ready to tell mommy what the nightmare was about, kiddo?"

Zachary took another sip of chocolate milk and shook his head. "No, mommy. No talky. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, baby, okay," Olivia sighed. "Tell mommy when you're ready then. Or you can tell daddy, if you feel better talking to daddy about it," she said and kissed his forehead.

Zachary rested his head on her shoulder and put one hand on his mommy's tummy as he continued to drink his milk. "Mommy, I can't feel baby," he pouted.

"That's cause baby is sleeping. Like we should be," she replied, even though she could feel that the baby had hiccups.

Sighing, Zac nodded and passed Olivia the empty cup. "Finished."

"Okay, honey, go to the bathroom before you go to bed."

"Okay, mommy," he replied and jumped off the couch, walking toward the bathroom.

Tiredly, Olivia got up and put the empty plastic cup in to the sink to be washed the next day.

"Bed, mommy?" Zac asked, appearing from the bathroom and stretched his hand up to her.

* * *

Olivia woke up early the next morning to moans of pain behind her. She turned around to see Elliot curled up and clutching his abdomen.

"El? Baby, what is it?"

"Oh God! It hurts so much!" he groaned, waking Zac up on the other side of Olivia.

"We're going to the hospital," she told him and got up as Zac jumped off the bed.

"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy, is daddy gonna be okay?" he asked in a panic.

"Calm down, Zachary. Daddy will be fine, we just have to get daddy to the hospital," she told him and helped Elliot up. "Come on, honey," she spoke softly.

Elliot groaned in pain as he slowly got up with Olivia's help. "God, now I kind of know how much pain you were in when you gave birth to Zac."

"I caused you pain, mommy?" Zac asked, looking up at her.

"No, baby," Olivia replied as she grabbed her purse and the car keys and helped Elliot out.

"But daddy just said..."

"I'll explain later, Zacy," she told him and locked the apartment door behind them.

* * *

Sitting on the chair beside the hospital bed with Zac on her lap, Olivia watched the doctor examine Elliot and him groaning in pain.

She couldn't stand seeing him in pan and looked down at Zac.

"Yes, it's Acute Appendicitis," the doctor comfirmed. "Let's get you prepared for emergency surgery. We'll be taking you up to the surgery floor soon. Your wife and son can wait in the waiting room up there or go to the cafeteria for breakfast. I'll be right back," he said and left.

"Liv, you and Zac should go home for a few hours. Have a shower and get changed."

"I don't want to leave you though, El."

"Honey, think about the baby...you're sitting there in one of my t-shirts and sweat pants and Zac's still in his pajamas. Go home, have a shower, get dressed and lay down for a while," he said and groaned in pain.

"Fine. We'll be back in a few hours. I love you," she said and stood up, standing Zac on the floor.

"I love you too. I'll be fine," he assured her.

Nodding, Olivia helped Zac on the bed. "Say see you to daddy."

"See you later, daddy. Love you."

"Love you too, son," Elliot replied and kissed his head.

Olivia helped Zac off the bed and placed a kiss on Elliot's lips.

In response, Elliot returned the kiss before lifting Olivia's top and kissing her bare stomach. "Love you, little one... See you later, love," he said to Olivia as he put her top back down.

"See you later, sexy," she replied and left with Zachary as the doctor returned.

"We're just going for a couple hours. Call me if you need me and I'll be right back."

The doctor nodded. "Everything should run smoothly. The surgery will take a few hours. You're pregnant, remember, try not to stress."

"I'll try..." Olivia sighed and walked out of the hospital.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: This chapter is for LittleMissBensonBaby. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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After showering, getting herself and Zachary dressed and eating a quick snack, Olivia couldn't stand it anymore and had to get back to the hospital. First she called Angie to tell her what was happening, since she had completely forgotten before, and then called out to her son, who was playing with his toy cars in his bedroom.

"Yes, mommy?" he asked, running in to the living room.

"Go to the bathroom, baby, we're going to go back to the hospital," she told him and slowly eased herself down on to the couch for a moment. Her back was aching and she was tired.

"Mommy, ready," Zac said, appearing a moment later.

Groaning, Olivia got up. "Crap. I just have to use the bathroom myself, buddy. I'll be right back," she said and rushed in to the bathroom.

* * *

Arriving at the hospital, on the surgical floor, Olivia found that Elliot was still in surgery, so she and Zachary headed in to the waiting room.

"Come on, sit down, kiddo," she spoke softly and helped him in to a chair before slowly and carefully slumping down on a chair beside her son and placing a hand on her extended abdomen.

"Mommy," Zac said, turning to Olivia and getting up on to his knees.

"Yes, baby?" Olivia asked, rubbing her belly and reached out, wrapping her arm around Zac's waist, to hold him stable, so he didn't fall.

"Baby awake?"

"Why don't you see, Zacy," she replied and placed his little hand on a certain spot on her stomach.

Feeling his unborn sibling kick and do a somersault in his mommy's uterus, Zachary began to laugh. "Mommy, baby is moving lots."

"Yes, the baby is. The baby's very active, huh?" Olivia laughed with him.

"Mrs Stabler?"

At the sound of someone calling her, Olivia looked up. "Yes, is my husband okay?"

"I'm Dr. Sasha Luttrell, I was your husband's surgeon. It got a little dicey in there but he's very strong willed. He made it through and will be just fine," the doctor said as she sat down in the seat beside Olivia.

Olivia released a breath, she didn't realize she was holding and continued to rub her belly as she calmed herself down. "Thank God. Can we please go see him?"

"Of course. He's in recovery, he should be waking up soon."

Getting up, Olivia said, "Thank you, doctor."

"You're very welcome."

"Come on, Zac, let's see daddy," Olivia cooed and helped him off the chair before taking his small hand in her bigger one.

"Daddy!" Zac chirped.

"Daddy will be sleeping for a while, buddy," she explained.

"When will he wake up?" Zac asked, looking up at her.

Olivia looked down at him and caressed the back of his hand with her thumb. "I'm not sure but the doctor said it should be soon... Okay, here we are. Zac, you need to be quiet in here and not leave mommy's side," she told him gently.

"Yes, mommy," Zachary replied and nodded.

"Okay, let's see daddy," she said and opened the door. "Where can I find Elliot Stabler?" she asked a wondering nurse.

"Your relationship to him?"

"I'm his wife."

The nurse nodded. "Okay, I'll take you to him."

Upon catching sight of Elliot, Olivia gasped.

Elliot was pale and was connected to an IV and had a nasal cannula in his nose to provide him with extra oxygen.

"It's not as bad as it looks," the nurse assured her. "The IV is just morphine."

"I know. It's just I hate seeing my husband or son in pain," Olivia replied before slowly sitting down in the chair beside the bed.

"He should be waking up very soon."

"Thank you," Olivia said and watched the nurse walk away before turning to Zachary. "Come sit on mommy's lap, honey," she cooed and helped him climb up on to her lap.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Zacy?" she asked, rubbing his back.

"Daddy gonna wake up soon?" he asked, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Yes, baby, daddy will be waking up soon," she replied and continued to rub her son's back, only to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Olivia woke to the sound of Zac talking to someone. She ran a hand over her stomach as she yawned and opened her eyes. Zachary was talking to his daddy.

Elliot had woken up. Obviously he'd only just woken up because his voice was still raspy.

"Hi, baby," he greeted her.

Zachary was on the bed with Elliot, so Olivia got up and leaned over to Elliot to give him a kiss. "Hey, honey. How do you feel?"  
"Sore but I'll be fine. But now I know how much pain you must've been in when you gave birth to Zac," he said as he gently pulled Olivia down on to the bed and wrapping his arm around her waist.

Olivia smiled. "It was worth it though, as it will be with this little one," she replied, rubbing her belly but then sighed.

"Liv, what is it?"

"With this hospital bill, how are we going to afford to pay for the one when I have the baby?"

Elliot sighed. "Well, it can't be a hospital birth then... Have the baby at my mom's house," he replied, not thinking about what he was saying, until it was too late.

"So, you're saying that you're willing to put my and the baby's health at risk?!" she snapped and sighed. "Zac, say bye to daddy."

"Olivia, Elliot." Angie's voice startled them from just inches from the bed. "Talk it out, don't let it esculate. Zac, come here, baby. We'll go to the cafeteria."

"Grammy, I get a donut?" Zac asked, walking over to her and took her hand.

"Sure, Zacy. Let's let mommy and daddy talk," she said and she and Zac left.

"Liv, honey, I'm sorry," Elliot apologized straight away and gently pulled Olivia back down on the bed again, wrapping his arms around her waist, well what was left of it.

Olivia sighed and laid down, snuggling in to him before placing his hand on her belly. "I know and unfortunately you might be right though," she whispered.

Elliot kissed her neck as he caressed her stomach soothingly, calming the restless fetus within. "Liv..."

"No, you're right, El," Olivia cut him off. "I'll talk to Dr Calibee about it and see what she says."

"Only if you're sure, baby. I could ask my mom to borrow money," he offered and kissed her neck again.

"Yeah, El. Don't ask your mom for more money. If Dr Calibee says it's safe to have a home birth then okay."

"Okay, Liv," he replied.

The couple laid together in silence until they were both startled by someone approaching them and clearing their throat.

Both Olivia and Elliot looked up to see a doctor standing there.

"I'm Doctor Samuel Durham. Mrs Stabler, you shouldn't be up there."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Olivia apologized and slowly got up off the bed.

"It's okay, it's just for safety reasons. Now, Mr Stabler, I'll be your doctor in the general ward and we'll be taking you up there shortly," he said and walked away.

"Ow," Olivia moaned and leaned forward in the chair, rubbing her belly.

Elliot sat up properly and groaned in pain but was more concerned about Olivia and the baby. "Liv, sweetheart, you okay?"

Exhaling a deep breath, Olivia nodded and looked up at her husband. "Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, baby just kicked me pretty hard. It's very active... We really need to find out the sex, so we don't keep calling the baby 'it'," she sighed.

"I'm sure we'll find out during the next ultrasound."

"Yeah," Olivia nodded and they saw Angie and Zac return.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Zac called and ran over to his mommy.

"Hey, buddy," Olivia said and gave him a hug.

"You two sorted out the problem?" Angie asked.

Both Olivia and Elliot nodded.

"Yeah, mom, it was just a minor disagreement," Elliot assured her, "it's all sorted out."

Angie nodded. "Good."

"Okay, time to move you, Mr Stabler. Only family can come with you," a nurse said.

"There three are my family. My mother, my wife and our son."

"Okay then," the nurse replied and nodded before she helped him off the bed and in to the wheelchair.

Slowly, Olivia stood up too to follow them.

* * *

Four days went by before Elliot was finally released from the hospital and was waiting for Olivia to pick him up.

The sound of two familiar voices drew him to the hospital room door. It was Olivia and Zachary right on time to pick him up.

Olivia was dressed comfortably in baggy grey sweat pants and a pink t-shirt that was about three sizes too big to accommodate her twenty four week rounded baby bump and Zac was walking beside her, holding her hand, dressed in a pair of navy blue sweat pants and a light blue t-shirt with a train on it.

Olivia looked tired but still smiled upon catching sight of her husband.

"Hey, honey. You all ready to go home?"

"Hey, baby," he said and pecked her on the lips. "Hey Zac."

"Hi daddy," Zac replied and took his hand.

"You look tired, baby," Elliot said as they walked out together, hand in hand.

"Yeah, didn't sleep well last night. It was a combination of missing you and an active baby here," she said, rubbing her stomach, "kicking me like crazy."

"Well you're going to have a nap when we get home and I'm going to give you a massage," he gently told her.

"Oh, El, you've just been discharged from the hospital, I can't expect you to do that."

"It's fine, beautiful. You're carrying our child, you deserve a massage, it's the least I can do," he replied as they stepped in to the elevator.

Olivia leaned in to Elliot and yawned as the silver, heavy doors slid closed.

"Daddy?" Zac spoke up.

"Yes, buddy?"

"You all better now?"

"Just about, Zac," Elliot told him.

"You play with me when we get home?" Zac asked softly.

"Sorry, I can't. I'll give mommy a massage and help her get some sleep. Then you and I will watch a movie on the couch, how you like the sound of that, champ?" he asked as the elevator doors opened.

"Yeah, yeah. I like that, daddy," Zac cheered as they stepped out.

"It's a deal then, bud," Elliot replied.

* * *

With Olivia in bed sleeping, Elliot kept his promise to his son, to watch a movie on the couch.

"Pick a movie, son, while I get us some pop corn."

"Okay, daddy," Zac replied with a smile and went over to the tapes.

Elliot headed in to the kitchen to make up some pop corn for them and put a few treats in the bowl for Zac.

Walking back in to the living room, Elliot found Zac sitting on his bean bag patiently waiting for him, with a tape in hand.

"Picked one, daddy," Zac informed his daddy, holding up the selected tape.

"Okay, buddy," Elliot replied and swapped the pop corn for the tape before putting it in and sitting down on the couch with the bowl of pop corn. "Let's watch, huh?"  
Zac nodded, jumping up on to the couch and snuggled in to Elliot's side before sticking his hand straight in to the pop corn bowl.

Wrapping his arm around his young son, Elliot looked up at the television, ready to watch the movie. He was very happy to be spending time with Zachary, he missed spending time with him lately because of college exams and work, he'd missed him so much.

Enjoying the time as well, Zachary sighed contently and grabbed another handful of pop corn, waiting for his movie to begin.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: This is the last update until after Christmas. So Happy Holidays everyone, hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Waking to the sound of Zachary screaming in fear, Olivia's eyes shot open. "El, see what's wrong," she whispered and stretched her arms out to her side, to feel him, only to find his side of the bed empty and cold.

She slowly sat up and quickly but gently maneuvered her thirty-two week pregnant body out of the bed. "Zac! Zac, where are you, baby?" she called out as she walked out of the bedroom as quickly as her heavy body would let her.

"Mommy, mommy!" Zac cried and ran in to her legs. He'd come from the living room.

"Honey, what's wrong? Where's daddy?" she asked and leaned over as far as she could, wrapping her arms around him.

"Daddy went to work, mommy," he cried in to her legs.

"What's wrong then, kiddo?" she asked again concerned.

"I heard a big bang, mommy. Didn't you hear it?" he replied, frightened.

"No, I didn't hear it," she said and kissed his head.

Sirens outside filled the air as they increased in volume. It was obvious that they were heading toward the apartment building.

"It sounded so loud," Zachary told his mommy.

"Oh, baby, it's okay. It's early, let's go back to bed for a while," she said and guided him in to the master bedroom.

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She must've fallen asleep with Zachary's head on her belly because she was woken by the sound of somone knocking on the apartment door.

"Zacy, wake up," she whispered and gently moved him over before pushing herself up and off the bed.

She walked to the front door and looked through the peep hole. There was a woman police officer at her door. She kept the chain on and opened the door a gap.

"Yes?"  
"I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but did you hear any commotion this morning from in the apartment across from you?"

"No, I was asleep," Olivia replied.

"Ma'am, you need to tell me the truth. People down the hall hear it, so I'm sure you would have," the officer said.

"Look, I am telling you the truth. I'm seven months pregnant and have a four year old, I'm tired all the time. I was asleep till you banged on my door," she replied, coolly.

The police officer pulled out a card and went to pass it to Olivia but she shook her head.

"I didn't hear a damn thing. So I have no need for your card."

"Ma'am..."

"You have a problem with me, contact Captain Thomas of the Special Victims Unit at the sixteenth precinct. Now, if you don't mind, I need to tend to my child," Olivia replied and shut the door, locking the deadbolt again.

Olivia didn't want any trouble from her neighbours, so she kept out of everything. In the whole time she'd living in the place, she hadn't made any friends but she didn't want any ememies and she wanted to keep it that way. She still had Alex and Casey though, so she didn't mind.

Needing to get out of the apartment, she decided to call Casey to see what she and Alex were up to today.

Alex and Casey were now college dorm mates now, so she didn't get to see them all the time anymore because college kept them all busy and motherhood kept Olivia even busier.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Case, it's Liv."

"Hey, hon, how are you? Found out the sex of that baby yet?" she asked, laughing.

Olivia laughed with her. "I'm good despite the aching back... And no we haven't found out the baby's sex yet. It's never in the right position for us to see... What are you and Alex up to today?"

"Nothing, babe. What you got in mind?"

"I need to get me and Zac out of the apartment. Want to meet up at our usual cafe in about an hour?"

"Sure. We'll meet you there, Liv, and you can tell us what's bothering you. And don't you dare say it's nothing because I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong," Casey replied compassionately.

"Thanks, Case," Olivia said and sighed. "See you soon." She hung up the phone and headed in to the bathroom to have a shower.

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Walking in to their usual cafe hangout, Olivia instantly found her two best friends sitting in their usual booth near the rear of the dining area.

"Mommy, can I please have a chocolate milkshake?"

"Sure, baby," Olivia replied and helped Zachary up on one side of the booth beside Alex.

"Hey, guys," Casey and Alex both greeted them.

"Hey girls," Olivia replied as she difficultly slipped in beside Casey.

"Hi Aunt Alex and Aunt Casey," Zac said and nicked a French fry off Alex's plate.

"Zachary, use your manners, young man," Olivia gently scolded him.

Zac sighed and looked up at Alex. "Can I please have this fry, Aunt Alex?"

Alex laughed. "Sure you can, lil man. You want the rest on my plate?"

Grinning, Zac nodded. "Yes, please," he replied.

"Here you go," Alex said and slid the plate over to him before looking up at Olivia. "What's going on, honey?" she asked concerned.

Olivia sighed and ran her hands over her face before resting her hands under her tummy, craddling it. "It's a combination of things," she replied softly, not wanting to talk about it.

"Are you and Elliot havnig problems?" Casey asked.

"He needs to be home for us to have problems," Olivia whispered sadly. "When he is home, we're making love, that's it."

"Where is he all the time?" Alex asked.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know..." she sighed. "Zacy, want to go to the playground? I'll buy you a chocolate milkshake on the way."

"Yes please."

"Sorry, girls," Olivia apologized. "I can't talk about this right now. This was a bad idea," she said and got up. "Come on, monkey boy."

"Bye, bye, Aunt Alex and Aunt Casey," Zac said, holding Olivia's hand as she rushed them out of the eating establishment.

"We need to make a call to Elliot," Casey said and Alex nodded in agreement.

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Watching Zachary having fun and talking to other children his age, Olivia was startled when someone came and sat beside her on the bench. She looked up, it was Elliot.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted her and wrapped an arm around her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi. I guess Casey and Alex called you."

"Yeah, they did, baby. I'm so sorry," he apologized.

"I want to hear your side of the story. Why you haven't been home much," she told him.

"What have you heard?" he asked concerned, guessing she'd heard something.

"I heard you were cheating on me with some model like blond chick," she replied, rubbing her baby bump.

"Liv--"

"I know you're not, El," Olivia cut him off. "I didn't believe it for a second. That's why I want to hear your side of the story."

Elliot sighed. "I've been taking on extra hours to make more money, Liv, so we can afford the hospital bill when you have the baby," he confessed and placed a hand on her stomach, rubbing it, smiling when he felt the baby moving under his palm. "You said you'd feel much safer if you delivered in the hospital, so I'm determined to be able to afford it."

Olivia smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you but you don't have to do that, honey. I spoke to Dr Calibee."  
"What did she say?"

"She said I can have a home birth and that she can be there or I can have the baby at her clinic."

"Clinic?" Elliot asked confused.

"Yeah, she has a clinic. It has exam rooms and a delivery room. She said that we can negotiate a cost for services provided. Dr Calibee said she can make it affordable for us and I can still have a safe birth, which is as comfortable as possible," she informed him.

"So you want to have the baby at her clinic?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I'm thinking about it," she replied. "Will your mom or Emily babysit Zac when the time comes?"

"Of course, baby," Elliot replied. "We'll sort something out with both of them, so when the times comes, one of them could pick him up or something."

"We better arrange something soon."

"We will, honey. We have time," he assured her as they continued to watch Zachary on the playground and he rubbed her stomach soothingly.

After a couple minutes of comfortable silence between them, Elliot spoke up again. "I heard about what happened in the Palmer apartment this morning."

"Huh? Who?" Olivia asked confused.

"The couple in the apartment across from us."

"That officer called the captain, huh?"

Elliot nodded and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, but he said to leave you alone, that if you knew anything you would have said so."

"Thank you. I was asleep at the time. What actually happened?"

"It seems they had an argument and he shot her," he relayed what he had heard.

"Oh okay. That would explain why I woke to Zac screaming."

"Zac heard it?"

"Yeah. He said he heard a big bang. It really scared him, it took awhile to calm him down but I think he's forgotten about it for now," she said and yawned.

"Tired, gorgeous?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Yeah, you wore me out last night," she joked.

Elliot laughed with her and kissed her forehead. "Yeah, it was good wasn't it? You were amazing. Considering you have our baby there in front, you were pretty energetic."

"Yeah, but you really wore me out though," she replied. "When do you have to go back to work?" she asked suddenly, sadly.

"I have the next three days off. Let's take the three days and go spend some quality family time together. Just the three of us before we become four."

"Yeah, I like the sound of that... Come on, Zac, time to go home, buddy!" she called over to him.

Zachary ran over and ran straight in to Elliot's arms. "Daddy!"

"Hey, bud, how are you?"

"I'm good thanks, daddy. You?"

"I'm good too, thanks, kiddo. Let's head home, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," Zac nodded enthusiastically.

As they walked home, Elliot's hand on the small of Olivia's back, he said, "While you rest, I'll call and make the arrangements for the weekend."

"Thanks, El. I'm really looking forward to it," Olivia replied and yawned, leaning in to him.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: This chapter is for MHFearless4Life, I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Sitting in the passenger seat of their car, early the next morning, Olivia rubbed her large baby bump and yawned.

"Sleep, baby, it's okay. I'll wake you up when we get there," Elliot whispered, as to not wake Zachary up, who was sleeping in his booster seat in the back.

"You sure, El?"

Elliot put a hand on her thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze before putting it back on the steering wheel. "Yes, I'm sure. It's only 6:18, we won't be there till about eight thirty, so try get some sleep, gorgeous. You and the baby need the rest," he assured her.

Olivia stretched a little in the seat and saw a gas station up ahead. "Could you please pull in at the gas station? I need to use the restroom, El."

"Sure," Elliot replied and put on the indicator before pulling in and parking.

As soon as the car stopped, Olivia took off her seatbelt and got out of the car, heading straight inside.

Elliot sighed and ran a hand through his short brown hair. Maybe this trip was a bad idea. They were only an hour in to the trip and it was Olivia's second restroom break already. She was also tired but the baby was very active and wouldn't let her sleep.

He looked around to check on his son, satisfied Zac was still peacefully sleeping, Elliot turned back around and waited for his wife to return.

About five minutes past before he finally saw Olivia emerge.

The passenger door opened and Olivia slowly slid in to the seat, closing the door behind her and putting her seatbelt back on. "Okay, ready."

"Honey, are you going to be okay to make it the rest of the way? We can go back home," he asked as he turned the key in the ignition, turning the engine back on.

Olivia shook her head. "No, it's okay, I want to go. Unless my restroom breaks are annoying you. I'm sorry, I can't help it."

"It's fine, baby, I know you can't. Tell me whenever you need to go and I'll pull over as quick as I can," he assured her with a kiss on the lips.

"Okay, thanks," Olivia yawned and rested her hands under her tummy, craddling it.

Elliot pulled back on to the road and they were on their way again. "Baby settled down yet?"

"Yeah, the baby has finaly gone to sleep it seems," she replied, rubbing the bottom of her bump.

"Well try get some sleep yourself while you can," he said and turned down another street.

Olivia yawned again and closed her eyes. "I think I will. Love you, El," she whispered, slowly drifting off.

"Love you too, Liv."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Olivia woke again to the sound of Zachary and Elliot talking. Yawning, she stretched and opened her eyes to see Elliot pulling in to the car park of a small, quiet restaurant.

"Hey, babe, we're going to get something to eat," Elliot informed her upon seeing her wake up.

"Hi, hon, sounds great. I'm famished," she replied, rubbing her belly. "Hey, Zacy."

"Hi mommy. You and baby sleep good?"

"We did, thanks. How about you?" she answered, undoing her belt as Elliot shut off the motor.

"Yep, I slept good too," he replied as he undid his own booster seat buckle.

Olivia slowly got out of the car and opened the back as she shut the front. "That's good but baby, you need to stop undoing your own booster seat buckle, you need to wait for me or daddy. Out you come."

Zac giggled and climbed out with his daddy's help. "Okay, mommy. Thanks, daddy."

"No problem, kiddo. Let's get us some breakfast," he said as he guided his family in to the small roadside restaurant.

The three all eat and have a restroom break before heading back on the road for the hour and a half left on the trip.

Nearly two hours later and two more restroom trips later, they pulled up at the Stabler family holiday home in upstate New York. It was actually Elliot's uncle's holiday home.

Elliot helped Olivia out of the car, then Zachary before guiding them inside the house to turn on the air conditioning.

"It's so hot," Olivia whined as she eased herself down on to the couch.

"I know, beautiful. I'm turning on the air conditioner," he replied softly and turned it on. "Zac, want to help me bring in our luggage while mommy lays down."

"Yeah, yeah, daddy," Zachary replied, enthusiastically.

"I can help, Elliot," Olivia said and went to get up but Elliot gently pushed her back down.

"It's fine, Liv. Lay down."

Olivia growled at him in frustration. "I may be seven months pregnant but I can still do stuff for myself," she snapped.

"I know, honey, I know you can but please rest. You were already warned abour your sightly high blood pressure by Dr Calibee. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," he said, caressing her cheek with his thumb, his hand cupping the side of her face.

Sighing, Olivia nodded and pecked him on the lips. "Okay, only because I'm worried about the baby," she replied, rubbing her belly before laying down.

Elliot stood up and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Rest if you fall asleep I'll wake you for lunch and then after lunch, we can go for a swim,."

"Sounds great."

"Come on, Zacy," Elliot said and guided Zachary back to the car to get their luggage.

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Bringing in the luggage, Elliot and Zac quietly walked past the couch and found Olivia sound asleep with her t-shirt scrunched up under her breasts, leaving her pregnant abdomen bare in an attempt to cool down. Her right hand was craddling her belly as her left rested on the side of the very pronounced mound.

"Let's put these here for now," Elliot whispered to Zachary as he put his and Olivia's suitcase and Zac's on to the floor near the wall which divided the kitchen and living room.

Zachary, in turn, dropped his backpack filled with toys beside the two suitcases and looked up at his father. "What now, daddy?" he asked softly as to not wake his tired mother.

Elliot looked up at Olivia momentarily and saw her sigh in her sleep and scratch the side of her stomach before turned her head to the side and continuing to sleep.

"Let's make a yummy lunch for mommy, huh?" he suggested and Zachary nodded.

"Yeah, let's make mommy's favourite," he replied enthusicastically.

"Okay, kiddo. You want to help me bring the food in from the car?"

"Sure, daddy. We need to get to work, so it can be ready for mommy when she wakes up," he said, rushing toward the front door.

When Elliot reached the front door, he kneeled down to Zac's height. "Zac, we have to be quiet, so we don't wake mommy because remember that mommy's a light sleeper, okay?"

Zachary nodded and put his finger to his lips. "Shh."

"That's right, buddy," Elliot whispered and stood back up before opening up the door. "Let's grab this food in. Remember, quietly."

"Yes, daddy," Zac replied and headed for the car, which was parked in the driveway.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Olivia woke to the smell of peanut butter and strawberry jelly and the sound of talking. She exhaled a deep breath and opened her eyes, fixing her t-shirt, stretching it over her extended abdomen.

"Mommy!"

"Hey, baby," Olivia greeted him, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat and smiled at Elliot as she sat up. "Hey honey."

"Hey beautiful," Elliot replied and leaned down to kiss her on the lips."We made you some lunch," he said and passed her the plate. "You're current craving." He crinkled up his nose. "Peanut butter, strawberry jelly and pickles."

Olivia smiled. "Thank you, guys," she said and took a bite.

"Mommy?" Zac said as he climbed up on to the sofa beside her.

Olivia swallowed what was in her mouth and kissed Zachary's cheek. "Yes, baby?"

"How can you eat that?" he asked, crinkling up his little button nose in disgust, like his daddy did. "That's yucky."

Laughing lightly and shaking her head, Olivia put her hand on her belly and rubbed soothing circles. "Your baby brother or sister wants it, so I eat it," she replied, knowing whatever she told him, he wouldn't understand what she was talking about anyway.

"Ah okay," Zac replied, nodding. "Still yucky though."  
"It's actually quite nice," Olviia teased, laughing and took another bite.

"Eww!" Zac whined and jumped off the couch before taking his backpack of toys in to the room, he was going to be sleeping in.

Olivia laughed and put the half empty plate down on the coffee table in front of her as Elliot sat down beside her.

"Despite how gross it is, I still love you," Elliot laughed, wrapping an arm around her and guiding her head gently to his shoulder.

"Nice... I love you too, El," she whispered and lifted her head before claiming his lips with hers.

Slowly and gently, Elliot laid down bringing her with him, so she was straddling him this time since she was so pregnant. Continuing and deepening the kiss, exploring the depths of each other's mouth, Elliot had one arms wrapped around his wife with his hand resting on the small of her back and his other hand was placed on the side of her tummy, feeling their child squirming, kicking and tumbling within.

Needing oxygen, the couple reluctantly pulled away and rested their foreheads against one another's.

"Wow, the baby's very active."

"Yeah," Olivia smiled. "And I thought Zac moved a lot. This one moves even more. I've thought of a couple more names though."

"Oh yeah? What you got, baby?" Elliot asked, cupping her cheek and planting a kiss on her nose.

"For a boy, I like Aaron... And for a girl, I really have my heart set on the name Chelsea."

Elliot nodded, smiling. "Chelsea is a very sweet name but it's a pity you won't be able to use it yet."

Laughing, Olivia said, "You still think it's a boy, huh?"

"Oh yes, I do," he replied, laughing with her.

"Well in a couple months, I will be able to prove you wrong, buddy," she said with a grin and planted a kiss on his lips.

"In your dreams," Elliot replied and went to deepen it but they were rudely interrupted by a certain little guy.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Zac cried out, running in to the living room. "I was sick on the bedroom floor. I'm sorry."

Both Olivia and Elliot sighed and rested their foreheads against one another's again.

"Well there goes the moment," Olivia groaned and got up with Elliot's help.

"I'll go clean it up because you're liable to be sick from the smell of it before you even make it to the bedroom, babe," Elliot said and gave her a kiss before heading off to the clean up the mess Zachary made in the room.

"Come here, baby boy," Olivia cooed and gave her little boy a hug.

"Mommy, I feel icky," Zac whined, snuggling in to his mommy, ignoring the movements of his unborn sibling in her uterus.

"Come lay down with mommy then, kiddo. Something you ate must not have agreed with your tum-tum," she whispered and sat back down on the couch before helping Zachary up beside her. "Come on, sweetie."

"I was fine then I was sick," Zac whispered as he laid down with her and rested his head on her chest and his hand on her belly.

"Oh, baby, it's okay, rest and you should feel better soon," she cooed and kissed the crown of his head as she rubbed his back before suddenly drifting off to sleep herself, listening to her baby boy's soft, even breathing.


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary.**

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Waking up sometime later, Olivia couldn't feel Zachary sleeping with his head on her so she opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't in the living room anymore and she was on a comfortable queen size bed instead of the couch but she couldn't remember coming in to the bedroom though.

With a sigh, Olivia slowly sat up and pushed herself up off the bed with some difficulty before walking out of the bedroom looking for the bathroom. She found it two doors down the hallway and quickly used it, not realizing that there was in fact a master bathroom, before looking for the living room, which was downstairs.

When she found it, she found her husband and son sitting on the carpeted floor, reading together. Zachary was sitting on Elliot's lap pointing things out in the book excitedly.

Olivia couldn't help but smile at the sight and quickly grabbed the camera out of her suitcase. She took a shot with the decision to get a couple copies of it. One for her purse and one for a photo frame to be displayed in the master bedroom or the living room.

The flash disturbed the reading pair and they both looked up at her with identical grins.

"Mommy!" Zac yelled and jumped up, running in to Olivia's legs.

"Inside voice, Zac," Elliot reminded the youngster as he got up off the floor. "Hey, baby," he greeted her with a tender kiss on the lips.

"Hey, my handsome men. How was the story?" she asked, rubbing Zachary's back as he continued to cling to her legs.

"It was good, Mommy," Zac replied, looking up at her with a big smile.

"That's good, honey," Olivia said and kissed his forehead with some difficulty. "Could Mommy please have her legs back?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry, Mommy," he whispered and released his tight grip on her legs. "Can we please go swimming?"

"Of course, monkey boy. Go put your shorts on and get your floaties. They're in the front pocket of the backpack with your toys in," she said and patted his bottom.

With a giggle, Zac ran toward the bedroom to get changed, well attempted to anyway. Olivia or Elliot would most probably have to fix him up afterwards anyway but they liked to let him try to be independent and Zac liked to try to do things for himself first anyway.

"You going to swim?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to change in to my swim suit," she replied and headed in to the master bedroom.

"Which one did you bring?" Elliot asked smirking.

"Wait and see, my love," Olivia teased with a flirtatious wink and went in to the bedroom to change.

After five minutes, the fixing of Zac's boardshorts and the blow up of his floaties, Olivia finally emerged in her bathing suit and Elliot's jaw dropped.

"What? Is it bad?" Olivia panicked. "Oh, God, I'll go change," she cried and went to rush back in to the bedroom but Elliot stopped her.

Holding her hands in his, he looked her up and down with a sexy grin before resting his hands on her bare, swollen abdomen. "God, you're so beautiful in this bikini, gorgeous," he praised before kissing her tummy, then her lips. He couldn't take his eyes off her purple and black bikini set, which left her belly completely bare. "Don't hide your bump, sweetie," he whispered, rubbing it. "It's beautiful and nothing to be ashamed of."

Smiling, Olivia nodded. "Okay, I'll leave it on then," she replied and placed her hand over Elliot's on her tummy. Both enjoying the moment, staring in to each other's eyes. Getting lost in them.

"Mommy, Daddy! I want to go swim! Come on!" Zac screeched from the back door, standing on his tip toes, trying with all his might to reach the door handle to let himself outside but couldn't.

The couple groaned and shared a quick kiss before tending to their son.

"We'll have Mommy and Daddy time when he's asleep tonight," Elliot whispered and took her hand in his.

* * *

Zachary walked down the steps in to the pool first, he was so excited that he wouldn't even wait for his parents.

"Mommy, Daddy, Maya left her ball in the pool!" he squealed happily, grabbing the pink, plastic blow up ball, which was floating the chlorinated water.

"Yeah, Maya was here with her Mommy and Daddy the other day, buddy," Olivia informed him as she and Elliot climbed in to the water together, slowly emerging their bodies in the cool water, trying to adjust to the colder temperature. "This is so nice," she whispered to Elliot and wrapped her arms around him, trying to get as close to him as her swollen belly would allow her.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Elliot whispered back and rested his forehead against her's before planting a kiss on her lips, which Olivia deepened.

"Daddy! Play with me!" Zac suddenly called out from the other side of the pool, disturbing his parents' lip lock.

Elliot kissed Olivia once more and smiled. "I better go play with Zac for a while. Why don't you have a swim?"

"Yeah, I think I will," Olivia replied and swam off as Zac paddled over toward Elliot.

Playing with Zachary, Elliot watched Olivia swim lap after lap of the pool with such style and grace. He swore that she could be a professional swimmer and be in competitions but he knew Olivia only swam for fun or for something soothing.

Suddenly, she stopped and stood up in the water, craddling her belly.

"Honey, are you okay?" Elliot asked concerned.

Continuing to caress her tummy, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, baby's just restless in there," she replied and moved one hand to the top of the mound, rubbing it.

"Well, we're been in here for a while, so maybe we should shower and change and get ready to go out somewhere nice for dinner," Elliot suggested and helped Zachary out of the pool against his protests.

"Sounds great," Olivia replied, getting out herself.

"I wanna swim more!" Zac screeched unhappily as Elliot guided him inside the house.

"Zac, we'll swim more tomorrow, baby, I promise," Olivia said and scuffed up his hair.

"Okay," Zac grumbled and followed Olivia in to the downstairs bathroom.

"El, honey, could you please get me some of Zac's good clothes before you go have a shower upstairs?" she asked, turning on the bath taps.

"Sure, beautiful," Elliot replied and went in to the living room.

* * *

Walking in to the house from dinner, it was eight o'clock and it had been a very long, exhausting day. Elliot carried in a sleeping Zachary with a tired Olivia practically stumbling in, in front of him.

She turned on the light and closed the door behind her husband.

"Liv, I'm just going to put him to bed, okay?"

Olivia nodded and kissed Zac's cheek. "Sweet dreams, baby. I'm going to have a bubble bath," she told Elliot and placed a kiss on his lips before they both headed up the stairs.

Olivia turned left to head in to the master bedroom for the master bathroom and Elliot turned right to put Zac to bed.

Elliot laid Zachary down and tucked him in before kissing him on the forehead. "Night, son," he murmured and turned on the night light.

"Daddy?" Zac asked, groggily.

"It's okay, Zacy. Go back to sleep, buddy," he assured the youngster.

"Okay, Daddy. Night night," Zac replied and snuggled in to the bed, clutching on to his favourite teddy bear, getting comfortable.

Elliot closed the bedroom door halfway and headed in to the master bedroom, where he sighed and ran a hand down his face. Hopefully now that Zachary was asleep, he and Olivia would be able to get some time alone to themselves.

He stripped out of his clothes and strutted in to the master bathroom.

Olivia was laying in the big, diamond like shaped bathtub, her shoulders and below covered with bubbles, except her swollen abdomen, which was too large to be covered. Her hands rested on the front of her belly as she relaxed in the warm water, in the candle lit bathroom. "Hello? Earth to Elliot?" she laughed at her drooling hubby after he didn't say anything.

Elliot cleared his throat. "Sorry. Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, sexy man," she joked and Elliot climbed in, in front of her.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"Yeah, you keep saying that," Olivia smirked, climbing on top of him the best she could and smiled, when she felt him begin to harden beneath her.

She then began to moan as he began to suckle on her neck. "Oh, God," she whimpered. "Make love to me, Elliot."

"Your wish is my command, my queen," Elliot replied and cupped one of her breasts in his hand, rubbing circles on her nipple.

Olivia threw her head back in ecstacy and moaned loudly.

"Shh, baby, you'll wake up Zac," Elliot laughed lightly, continuing the ministrations.

"I can't help it. I'm so freakin' horny," she moaned and rested her forehead on Elliot's shoulder, panting.

The further she moved along in her pregnancy, the more she wanted to make love and Elliot was more then happy to help her out.

"Take me, El, please," she whispered, breathlessly in his ear and groaned, forcing her boby to accept him when he pushed in to her suddenly without warning.

"Sorry, baby. You okay?"

"Oh yeah," Olivia panted.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia woke to four things. The rising sun streaming in through the bedroom window, Elliot's snoring from behind her, his hand on her belly and the aerobic movements of the fetus in her womb.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes, then suddenly the baby kicked particularly hard causing both her and Elliot to jump.

"What the?!" Elliot whispered, suddenly wide awake.

Laughing lightly, Olivia turned around to face him. "It was just the baby, hon," she whispered back and kissed him on the lips. "Morning."

"Oh," Elliot laughed and returned the kiss. "Morning, gorgeous," he replied before leaning down. He lifted Olivia's pajama top and kissed her tummy. "Morning in there. Did you kick hard as your way of telling Mommy and Daddy that it was time to wake up?" he asked and placed his ear to Olivia's belly to listen to the baby inside. "Baby's got the hiccups," he laughed.

"You can really hear that?" Olivia asked, surprised, running her hand through his hair.

"Yeah, faintly, but yeah, I can," Elliot replied, smiling.

"It's so amazing, isn't it?" Olivia grinned, continuing to run her hand through his hair.

Both were enjoying the moment but knew that their little man would be up at any moment and demand their attention and they were definitely fine with that, so they were enjoying this moment while they could.

"How long has the baby been moving around?" Elliot asked and planted another kiss on her stomach before returning his ear to listen to the baby some more.

"I'm not sure. I woke to the baby's movements, so it could have just started moving then or been moving for a while before that," she replied before hearing light footsteps.

She looked toward the door just in time to see Zachary appear, half asleep, rubbing his eyes. "Morning, baby boy. Come up here with Mommy and Daddy," she spoke softly, patting a spot on the bed beside her as Elliot continued to listen to the baby.

Yawning, Zac approached the bed and climbed up. "Morning, Mommy. Morning, Daddy."

"Morning, son," Elliot replied, not moving his head. The baby was doing something interesting.

"What you doing, Daddy?" Zachary asked, looking at his father, confused.

"I'm listening to the baby play in Mommy's tum-tum."

"Mommy, can I listen too please?" he asked, looking up at Olivia.

"Of course, kiddo," Olivia replied, caressing his little olive toned cheek.

Excitedly, Zac moved down and put his ear to his mommy's tummy, next to his daddy.

The baby's movements seemed to be the most interesting thing for the morning and Olivia was fine with it because she it was peaceful and she was with her men.

Suddenly her stomach grumbled and the baby kicked out, hitting Zachary in the jaw.

"Ow!" Zachary cried, rubbing his jaw.

"It's okay, bud. The baby just kicked out," Elliot laughed. "Maybe cause Mommy and the baby are hungry. Let's get some breakfast," he said and got up.

"I'm so hungry," Olivia said and sat up, getting up with Elliot's assistance, followed closely by Zachary. "And I'm craving waffles."

"Yummy waffles," Zac giggled and rushed down the staircase.

"Zac, slow down!" Olivia cried out and gasped when Zac fell down the last two steps. "Zachary!"

Elliot ran down the stairs and picked up a crying Zachary. "Oh, buddy, you're okay. No more running in the house though."

"Mommy!" Zachary cried and reached for her.

Caressing her little man's cheek, Olivia crooned, "I can't carry you, baby, I'm sorry. You're okay with Daddy. Let's get some breakfast."

Zac sniffled and Olivia wiped away his tears. "Can I please have some strawberries with my waffles?" he asked as Elliot carried him in to the kitchen.

"Oh, I don't know, monkey boy," Olivia answered and rubbed his back. "You always seem to get sick after eating them for some reason. How about a banana?"

"Okay. Thank you, Mommy," Zac smiled, the tears forgotten about.

"After breakfast, we'll get dressed and do some shopping before swimming later, you okay with that?" Elliot suggested as he sat Zac on a seat at the table.

"Yeah, sounds good," Olivia replied and gave him a kiss. "I'm really enjoying this holiday."


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more. The next chapter is written, it just needs to be typed, so the more reviews the quicker the next chapter is posted.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Laying wide awake, Olivia was on her side with a pillow between her legs and another under her belly. She was just days from her due date and finding it increasingly difficult to get comfortable.

Olivia rubbed her large baby bump to soothe the kicking fetus in her uterus and looked up at the clock, using the moon light beaming in through the bedroom window to see it. It was only 5:02AM.

"Go back to sleep, baby. It's too early," Elliot whispered groggily and rolled over, wrapping an arm around her, resting his hand on the side of her stomach.

She sighed and rubbed the back of his hand. "I can't," she whispered back. "Go back to sleep, you have to be up for work in two hours. I'm just going to go check on Zac," she told him, difficultly sitting up and pushing her heavy body up off the bed, taking a quick glance at the white crib by the window, which Emily had bought for them as a baby present, that would start to be used any day now.

Zachary was already awake but still in bed. He was just content on laying there with his lamp on, reading a picture book. Hearing footsteps, he looked up. At the sight of his mommy, Zachary's eyes lit up and he jumped out of bed before running up to her, wrapping his arms around her legs, his head accidentally hitting her stomach. "Morning, Mommy."

"Morning, handsome. Be careful of the baby," she gently warned him.

"Sorry, Mommy. It was an accident," he apologized and kissed the underside of her stomach.

"It's okay, buddy, I know," she assured him and kissed the crown of his head as she rubbed his back. "You're going to be very tall when you're older, Zac. You're already slightly tall for your age," she said with a smile and kissed the crown of his head again.

"I'll be good looking too. Just like my daddy," he gloated with an innocent giggle.

Olivia laughed with him. "Oh, you already are, handsome, but you're right, you will be when you're all grown up... Anyway, what are you doing up so early, kiddo?"

"I couldn't sleep, Mommy," Zac replied. "And I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. Would you like a chocolate milk then?"

"Yes please."

Nodding, Olivia took her son's hand. "Okay, Zacy. Let's get us some yummy chocolate milk and then we'll lay down on the couch and watch television. 'Mommy and son' time, huh? We'll get some more in before the baby's born. But remember Mommy and Daddy would love your help with the baby."

Zac grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"Shh, baby, you'll wake up, Daddy," Olivia gently told him as they headed in to the kitchen.

"Want to help me make your chocolate milk?"

"Yes, please," Zac replied and tried to climb up on to the kitchen counter but was stopped.

"Hang on, sweetie," Olivia told him and grabbed a chair from the kitchen table, placing it in front of the counter. "There you go," she said and helped him up on to it.

"Thank you, Mommy."

"No problem, Zacy. Hold on to the counter," she said and opened up the cupboard to get the chocolate powder before grabbing the milk from the refrigerator.

With the chocolate milk made, Olivia and Zachary sat down on the couch and turned on the television, glad when they found a cartoon on. One of Zac's favourites, which made it even better.

"Mommy?" Zac spoke up when the show ended.

"Yes, Zacy?" Olivia asked, stroking back his soft, brown hair, which actually needed a bit of a trim.

"When will the baby be here?" he asked, placing a small hand on her belly.

"Any day now, handsome."

"How does the baby come out of your tum-tum?" he asked curiously.

Olivia was startled by the question, she hadn't be expecting it. "Ah, honey, I think I'll wait till you're older to explain that."

"But Mommy," he whined.

"Zachary, you wouldn't understand if I try to explain it," she replied, trying to avoid having to tell him.

"But Mommy," Zac grumbled. "I'm a big boy."

"What are you two doing up so early?" Elliot asked, half asleep, from the doorway, which led to the bedrooms.

Olivia sighed in relief. Elliot had saved her from answering the question.

"Daddy!" Zac called happily and ran up to him.

"Hey, bud," Elliot replied, picking him up.

"Daddy, how is the baby going to come out of Mommy's tum-tum?"

"Ah, buddy, I think you're too young to know that... But, ah, the baby will keep us really busy, so as big brother, you're going to need to help me and Mommy," he said, changing the subject.

Zachary grinned. "I'll help! My duty as big brother, I'll help," he said, proudly, pointing to himself.

Olivia smiled and tried to get up off the couch but was unsuccessful. "Ah, El, I need your help here."

"Okay, baby," Elliot laughed lightly and walked over to the couch. He helped her up off the couch and gave her a kiss on the lips. "How you feeling?"

"Tired and sore. The baby has moved down in to position, so I think I'll be going in to labor in the next couple days," she informed her husband.

Rubbing his wife's back, Elliot asked, "You want me to stay home today?"

"No, it's okay," she replied, shaking her head. "If I go in to labor, I'll call you."

"Okay, sweetheart. I better get ready for work," he said and gave her another kiss before heading in to the bathroom.

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Just after lunch, Olivia sat on the couch, watching TV, while Zac was in his room taking a nap.

Feeling a twinge in lower abdomen, Olivia squirmed around a bit to try get comfortable but was caught off guard by the feel of an over powering contraction running through her body.

"Ahh!" she cried out, doubling over and rubbing her belly.

Zachary woke to the sound of his mother screaming from the living room. He got up and ran in to find her hunched over on the couch, breathing heavily and groaning. He began to panic. "Mommy! Mommy, you okay?"

The contraction began to fade and Olivia looked up at Zac. "Hey, baby boy, yeah I'm okay," she assured him as he climbed up on to the couch beside her.

Sighing, she leaned back and rubbed her belly. The occasional pain she'd been feeling through out the morning must have been light contractions.

"Want to watch some television with me?" she asked and wrapped an arm around him.

Zac smiled and cuddled in to his mommy's side. "Yes please, Mommy."

"Okay," she whispered and kissed the crown of his head before changing the channel.

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When her contractions started to get more regular, Olivia called Angie to come pick Zac up, just in case she had to leave in a rush.

Now, she was just waiting on Elliot to get home from work. He was due any minute.

"Ow!" Olivia cried out with another contraction. Panting, she leaned forward, over the back of the couch, trying to remember the correct breathing from when she was in labor with Zachary.

Finally the contraction faded, she heard the key in the door, meaning Elliot was finally home.

"Liv?" he called out softly as he walked in and locked the door behind him.

"I'm right here, El," she whispered, rubbing her belly and sitting down on the couch. She leaned back in to it, preparing herself for the next wave of pain.

"You okay, baby?" he asked concerned and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

Olivia opened her eyes and smiled painfully at him. "The baby's coming," she whispered.

"You're in labor?" Elliot asked, his eyes opened wide in panic.

"Yeah, since about quarter to one."

"Liv, it's now three sixteen... Where's Zac?"

"Your mom picked him up about half an hour ago," she informed her husband.

Elliot nodded. "Okay," he replied and pecked her on the lips. "Have you called Dr. Calibee yet?"

"Yeah, she said to keep her updated. If my contractions start coming seven minutes apart or my water breaks, we need to call her immediately and head down to the clinic. She'll be there waiting for us."

Elliot sat down on the couch beside her and wrapped his arms around her, gently guiding her head to his shoulder. "Okay. How far apart are your contractions right now?" he asked, massaging her scalp soothingly.

"They're currently ten minutes apart and freaking hurt," she whispered, continuing to caress her stomach and moaned, enjoying Elliot's soothing caressing.

The room was quiet until Olivia's next contraction suddenly hit a couple minutes quicker then the last one had.

She cried out in pain and Elliot automatically began to rub her back, in an attempt to offer some comfort.

"Just breath through it, beautiful," Elliot murmured and kissed her cheek as he continued to rub her lower back in soothing circles. "You can do it."

"Oh God!" she suddenly screeched.

"Liv? What is it, sweetheart?" he asked in a panic, thinking something was terribly wrong.

"My water just broke," she whispered as the pain finally started to ease. "You need to call Dr Calibee and help me to quickly get changed."

"Of course, babe," Elliot said and got up. "I'll call her and then I'll help you change. You okay with that?"

Olivia nodded as she took quick, shallow breaths and rubbed her extended abdomen.

After calling the doctor, Elliot helped Olivia get changed before he helped her down to the car and they made their way to the doctor's clinic, which was actually about ten minutes closer to their apartment then the hospital was but just in the opposite direction.

"Did you call your mom?" Olivia asked as another contraction eased and faded away.

Turning down another street, Elliot nodded. "Yes, I did, gorgeous. She wishes you all the best and can't wait for the call announcing the baby's arrival. She wants to know the name, time of birth, weight and length," he informed his wife and caressed her thigh before putting his hand back on the steering wheel.

He needed to stay focused on the road ahead especially with the heavy traffic up ahead. "We're nearly there, Liv. How you doing?" he asked her as he turned down yet another street.

"I'm doing okay so far," Olivia replied breathlessly and sighed in relief as they pulled in to the clinic's car park.

Dr Calibee's car was in the parking lot as well as a nurse's and the lights inside the small building were on.

Elliot helped Olivia out of the car and guided her inside.

"Hey guys," Dr Calibee greeted them as she let them in. "Ready to welcome this little one in to the world?" she asked as she guided them in to the delivery room.

"Oh, God, yes," Olivia groaned. "I'm more then ready to meet him or her," she said before screeching in pain yet again.

"Just breath through it, baby," Elliot whispered, rubbing her back, supportively.

"Just shut up, Elliot," Olivia groaned again but clung on to him. Her arms around his neck as she buried her face in to his chest.

Elliot kissed her head and continued to rub her back, not saying a word, as per her wishes.

When the contraction finally ended, Olivia looked up at him and kissed him on the lips. "I love you," she panted.

"I love you too," he replied, returning the kiss. "We're going to become a family of four tonight."  
Olivia nodded. "I can't wait. I can't wait for this pain to be over and finally meet our baby."


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: The moment everyone has been waiting for is here. Meet Baby Stabler. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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The next morning, Olivia and Elliot sat on their comfortable bed at home, admiring their gorgeous new addition to the Stabler family when Angie, Emily and Zac arrived and walked in to the bedroom.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Zachary screeched happily and ran up to the bed, glad to be home.

"Hey, baby boy," Olivia greeted him, tiredly, holding the newborn.

"Hi, Kiddo." Elliot picked him up and sat him on the bed with them.

"Mommy, boy or girl?" Zac asked excitedly.

"Well, we'll tell you when Grammy and Emily come closer," Olivia laughed lightly and greeted them.

They replied and both took a seat on each side at the foot of the queen size bed.

"Angie, Emily, and of course, Zacy, we'd like you all to meet Chelsea Rhea Stabler. Born at 7:32PM on September second, weighing in at seven pounds, two ounces and eighteen inches in length," Olivia announced, proudly showing off the baby bundled in a pale purple, fleecy, baby blanket.

Chelsea had her father's cerulean blue eyes and her mother's nose, lips, ears and tanned skin. She was absolutely gorgeous. She blinked and aimlessly reached up with a tiny hand.

"She's absolutely beautiful. Mike would agree if he was here," Angie whispered and began to cry as she caressed her new granddaughter's baby soft cheek.

Elliot got up and comforted his mother. "Dad will be watching over Chelsea from Heaven, Mom," he whispered and kissed her cheek.

Emily sniffled as she leaned over and kissed her neice's cheek. "Congratulations, Liv," she said softly and kissed her sister in law's cheek. "She's gorgeous."

"Yeah, she is. Would you like to hold her?"

"Oh, yes, please," Emily said and gently took Chelsea in to her arms. "Hi, Chelsea. So glad to finally meet you, I'm your Aunt Emily," she murmured and kissed the infant's forehead.

Chelsea yawned and kicked her chubby little legs in response.

"Mom, want to hold Chelsea?" Emily asked, once she noticed that her mom had calmed down enough.

"Yes please," Angie replied and took Chelsea as Emily passed her to her. "Oh hi, pumpkin, you're so beautiful. You're going to have boys lining up the block for you when you're older, oh yes you are," she said in a baby voice and kissed Chelsea's cheek.

Elliot sat back down on the bed beside Olivia as Angie showed Zachary his new baby sister. He wrapped an arm around Olivia and kissed her cheek as they watched Zac interact with Chelsea. "Zac looks thrilled to finally be a big brother," he whispered to his exhausted wife.

"Yeah," Olivia replied through a yawn. "I'm so happy that Chelsea is finally here."

Chelsea suddenly started to suck on her mini fist and began to wail.

"I think she's hungry, Liv," Angie said over Chelsea's screams and passed her to her.

"Thanks," Olivia replied and moved her top and bra to nurse the hungry newborn.

Chelsea latched on immediately and began to suckle hungrily.

"Em and I are going to clean the apartment and do your laundry," Angie informed Olivia and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. El and I will find time."

"It's no problem, honey. You and El enjoy some time with Chelsea, plus you need to rest, Liv, you just gave birth last night. Come on, Zacy, you want to help me and Aunt Emily?"

"Yeah. Mommy, can I help Grammy and Aunt Emily?"

"Sure, baby boy. Give me a kiss before you go out with them," she said, tapping her cheek.

"We going now?" Zac asked Angie.

"Yes, Zacy. We're going to go down to the laundry room first to do the washing."

Zac nodded and gave Olivia a kiss before giving Chelsea one as she continued to nurse. "Bye, Mommy and Chelsea and Daddy," he said and ran out of the room excitedly before Olivia or Elliot could reply.

Angie laughed lightly and gave Olivia, Elliot and Chelsea each a kiss before she and Emily left the three of them alone to bond.

* * *

Angie, Emily and Zachary returned about an hour later with the dry, clean laundry to find Elliot sitting on the couch, watching the television quietly as he rocked a cranky Chelsea. She wasn't crying loudly but you knew she was upset.

"Hey, El, Chelsea a little angry with the world?" Angie asked softly and put the laundry basket down on the living room floor.

Elliot looked up and smiled tiredly. Chelsea had kept him and Olivia up most of the night. "Hey guys. Yeah, Chelsea isn't liking it too much yet. I think she was happier in Olivia's womb," he replied and laughed lightly.

"She'll get used to everything soon. She's not even twenty hour hours old yet," Angie said and leaned down to kiss Chelsea's forehead. "Where's Liv?"

Patting Chelsea's tiny back, Elliot kissed the side of her head and said, "Liv's getting some sleep until Chelsea's next feeding. Which will probably be in about an hour and a half."

Angie nodded. "Yeah, Olivia must be exhausted. Would you like us to take Zac for another night?"

"No! I wanna stay home tonight with Mommy and Daddy and Chelsea," Zac cried, overhearing the conversation between his father and grandmother.

"Come here, Zachary," Elliot whispered as he continued to rock the baby.

"Yes, Daddy?" Zac asked, standing in front of him.

"You need to calm down or you'll upset Chelsea even more or you'll wake Mommy and Mommy needs to rest," he gently scolded the boy.

"Sorry, Daddy," Zachary apologized. "But I want to stay home tonight."

"And you are, son. You can help me and Mommy take care of the baby."

Zachary smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah. Please, Daddy, I want to help. I'm Chelsea's big brother," he said and softly caressed his sister's cheek.

"Okay, but you need to be a good boy. So we got us a deal, kiddo?"

"Oh yes, Daddy," Zac replied and kissed Chelsea's forehead. "Love you, Chelsea."

In response, Chelsea sniffled and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

Elliot, Angie and Emily all looked on in surprise. Zachary has just kissed Chelsea's forehead and she went to sleep but no matter what Elliot did, she just continued to fuss.

"Wow, Zac. You got Chelsea to sleep," Elliot whispered and rubbed his head. "Good job."

Zac looked at Elliot, confused. "What did I do? I only kissed her head, Daddy."

"Yeah, I know, bud," Elliot laughed lightly and gently got up. "I'm just going to put her down," he said and headed in to the master bedroom.

He tip-toed in to the bedroom, finding Olivia still sleeping. He headed over to the crib, which was set against the wall with the window, and laid Chelsea down in it before winding up the mobile and kissing her forehead. "Sweet dreams, princess," he whispered and went to tip-toe back out of the room but was stopped by a voice.

"Come lay down with me, El," Olivia whispered, half asleep.

"Did I wake you, baby?" he asked softly as he laid down behind her and wrapped his arm around her.

Olivia turned in his arm and snuggled in to him, resting her head on his chest and arm over his abdomen. "No," she yawned. "I just woke when I noticed you weren't beside me anymore."

"Sorry, gorgeous. Chelsea was a little fussy, so I took her in the living room," he explained and rubbed her shoulder, left bare by her black camisole.

"It's okay, thank you. I got some sleep," she replied and kissed his chest, through his shirt.

Rubbing Olivia's back, Elliot kissed her head and watched Chelsea sleeping peacefully in her crib. "Sleep, Livia. Chelsea will want to eat soon, so try get some more rest."

Before she could reply, her eyes drifted shut and fell asleep, watching Chelsea.

* * *

"Grammy?" Zac asked, looking up at Angie as she cleaned the kitchen counter.

Angie stopped and gave her grandson her full and undivded attention. "Yes, buddy? What can I help you with?"

Biting her bottom lip, Zachary rubbed the toe of his blue and white sneakers in to the linoeum floor of the kitchen. He wasn't sure how to ask and didn't want it to get back to his mommy and daddy and upset them.

"Hang on, sweetie," Angie said and washed her hands before picking him up and perching him on her hip. "Now, what were you trying to ask Grammy? You know you can ask or tell me anything, Zacy," she spoke soflty, rubbing his little back, as she walked over to the couch and sat down with him on her lap.

Zac sighed and rested his head on Angie's shoulder. "Now Mommy and Daddy have Chelsea, are they going to forget about me?" he asked shyly.

"Oh, little man, Mommy and Daddy could never ever forget about you. Chelsea is not here to replace you. You're still Mommy's little man and Daddy's little helper," she assured him and kissed his cheek. "You understand me?"

Zachary nodded. "Thank you, Grammy."

"You're welcome, kiddo, and remember anytime you want to come to my house, just get Mommy or Daddy to call and if I'm not working, then I will come pick you up, just like I have before, remember?"

Zac nodded again and kissed Angie's cheek. "I love you, Grammy."

"I love you too, buddy. You want to help me clean your bedroom?"

"Okay," he replied and jumped off her lap, only to land on his knees.

"You okay?" Angie asked concerned, getting up in an instant.

Getting up, Zac brushed himself off. "Yes, I'm okay," he replied and took her hand. "Let's go clean up for Mommy and Daddy."

Angie laughed lightly at her stubborn, strong willed grandson, who hardly ever cried, even when he hurt himself. "Okay, handsome, let's go," she said, letting him drag her along, in to his bedroom.

* * *

Elliot must've fallen asleep with Olivia because he woke to the sound of Chelsea's hungry cries from the white crib adorned with pink and white patchwork- look linen. He opened his eyes just as Olivia got up and walked over to the crib.

"Hi, baby girl," she cooed and picked up the newborn, cuddling her to her. "You're a little early for a feed, aren't you?" she whispered and rested Chelsea's head on her shoulder as she gently bounced her up and down, patting her back. "Oh, you're very cranky, aren't you? Very angry with the world. You'll get used to everything soon, sweetpea. Mommy promises you." She turned to Elliot suddenly with a look of panic on her face.

"What is it, baby?" Elliot asked, seeing his wife's facial expression.

"Where's Zachary?"

"With my mom, honey. He's fine," he assured her, rubbing her arm as she started to nurse the baby again.

"Please go check on him. I need to see for myself that he is okay," she insisted.

"Okay, okay," he said and planted a gentle, reassuring kiss on her lips. "I'll go find him and bring him in here, so you can see that's he fine for yourself," he promised and headed out of the bedroom toward the living room, but stopped hearing talking coming from Zachary's bedroom.

He found Zachary and Angie in there, putting clean, lime green linen on Zac's bed.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them.

Zac's eyes lit up and he ran over to Elliot. "Hi, Daddy. I helped Grammy clean the apartment," he told his daddy proudly.

"Good job, buddy. Thank you, that's helped me and Mommy a lot," he said and patted his back. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Mommy's awake and wants to see you but you got to be quiet and careful though because she's feeding Chelsea."

Zac nodded and ran in to the master bedroom. "Mommy!"

"Hey, my big boy," Olivia greeted him, smiling. "Come on up here with me and Chelsea," she whispered, patting the spot on the bed beside her.

Zachary climbed up beside her and sat down next to her, keeping his eyes on his baby sister, who was still eating away. "You're so pretty, Chelsea," he whispered and stroked back her downy, dark brown hair. "I love you."

Watching how gentle Zachary was with Chelsea made Olivia smile. What a beautiful moment. She just hoped there was many more to come.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more. The next chapter is already written, it just needs to be typed, so the more reviews, the quicker the update.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary and Chelsea.**

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Olivia and Elliot were woken by Chelsea's hungry screams at about two eighteen in the morning.

"I'll get her," Elliot croaked half asleep and went to get up but Olivia stopped him.

"El, honey, she's hungry. How you going to feed her?" she replied, getting up painfully and slowly walking over to the crib.

"Right," Elliot murmured and got comfortable again.

"Hey, hey, bubba, it's okay, it's okay. We'll get some milk in your belly," she cooed as she picked the newborn up. "Let's go in the living room, huh? That way Daddy can sleep." Walking in to the living room, Olivia rubbed Chelsea's back and gently bounced her up and down.

Zachary was startled awake by the sounds of his new baby sister's crying in his mommy and daddy's bedroom. Sighing, he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes.

"I better get up and help Mommy with Chelsea," he whispered to himself and got up out of bed.

He walked out of his bedroom and took a quick look in to the master bedroom, only to find his father asleep. Zachary then walked in to the living room, where he found his mommy feeding the baby. "Mommy?"

"Hey, handsome," she whispered back as he walked over to her. "Did Chelsea wake you?"

Zachary nodded and yawned. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry, kiddo," she apologized and delicately moved her hand from under Chelsea's diapered bottom. She reached up and caressed his cheek. "She was hungry and since she can't talk, it's the only way she can tell me."

"It's okay, Mommy. I got up to help," he said and rubbed Chelsea's head.

"Thank you, baby boy, but you start Kindergarten today, so you should go back to bed," she said and kissed his cheek.

"But I want to help, Mommy," Zac insisted and stomped his foot.

"Zachary Isaiah, it's too late for me to handle this and I'm too tired, so do what you are told please. We don't need you falling asleep at school. Once I've finished nursing Chelsea, I'll come tuck you in again."

Unhappy, Zachary groaned. "Okay," he grumbled and walked back toward his bedroom. He sniffled, feeling rejected by his mother and climbed back in to bed, hiding under the covers. Hiding from the world.

* * *

Olivia sat Chelsea on her leg, holding her up and gently patting her tiny back. "Give Mommy a burp, little one," she cooed, "and then you can go back to sleep."

A few minutes past and Chelsea began to whimper, feeling uncomfortable from not passing wind yet.

"Oh, I know, princess. You need to burp," Olivia whispered and continued to pat her back.

Just as she went to move Chelsea up to her shoulder, she finally burped loudly.

"Oh, there you go, bubba," she said and kissed her cheek before standing up. "Let's put you back to bed. Mommy needs to check on your big brother."

She tip-toed in to the master bedroom as to not wake Elliot and laid Chelsea down in her crib before kissing her head, winding up the mobile and tip-toeing back out.

Zachary didn't know how long he'd been laying there under the covers when he heard his mommy enter the room and felt her sit down on the bed beside him.

"Zacy? Honey, I'm sorry. Mommy's sorry," she murmured and gently pulled the blanket from over his head, so she could see her baby boy. "Hey, handsome, why you hiding?"

Instead of answering, Zachary rolled over and ignored her.

That hurt Olivia and with her hormones still off balance, she sniffled as her eyes welled up with tears. "Well, if you don't want to talk I guess I'll go back to bed," she whispered sadly and got up. She tucked Zachary in and kissed the side of his head. "Night, Zachary."

Olivia climbed back in to bed and sighed when she felt Elliot wrap an arm around her.

"You okay, baby?" he asked groggily and kissed her shoulder, left bare by her black camisole.

"Yeah, just tired," she lied and closed her eyes, snuggling back in to her husband.

"Well when Chelsea wants changing or attention, I'll get her," he said and kissed her shoulder again.

"Thank you," she replied and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Olivia hadn't been asleep long when she heard a sniffle followed by a whispered, "Mommy," and the feel of a small hand on her cheek.

Slowly opening her eyes, she came face to face with her young son. "Hey kiddo," she whispered.

"Hi Mommy. I'm so sorry," he cried. "Please don't hate me," he begged with tears, which broke Olivia's heart, streamed down his cheeks.

"Oh, baby boy. I could never hate you," she assured him and lifted up the covers. "Hop in."

Zachary climbed in to the bed and snuggled in to Olivia as she tucked him in and kissed the back of his head.

"Mommy, I love you," he whispered and rested a hand on top of her larger one, which rested on his tummy as she cuddled him close.

"I know, baby. I love you too," she replied and kissed his head again. "Sleep now. It's late."

* * *

Olivia woke again a few hours later to Zac getting up and the sound of the alarm clock. She looked over to see that Elliot was already up and had Chelsea with him, she must've cried again after she fed her again.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?" Olivia asked as they walked toward the kitchen together.

"Can you please take me to school today?"

"Me, Daddy and Chelsea are all taking you to school today, buddy," she informed him and helped him on to a chair at the kitchen table.

"Morning, sexy," Olivia whispered and kissed Elliot on the lips.

"Morning, gorgeous," he said, stirring the porridge and holding Chelsea. He was standing side on to keep Chelsea away but he couldn't put her down without her protesting loudly.

"Morning, sweetie. You cranky again, huh?" she cooed and gently took the newborn. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" she whispered and kissed her little cheek before taking a seat at the kitchen table, sitting down slowly, still in some pain from Chelsea's birth.

As she rocked Chelsea and talked to Zachary, Olivia watched Elliot finish up breakfast, spooning the porridge in to three bowls and cutting up banana and placing slices in to the bowls before walking over with two of them.

"Bon appetite," he said and placed a bowl in front of her and Zac before going back for his.

"Thanks, Daddy," Zac said and dug straight in.

"Thanks, hon," Olivia whispered when he sat down beside her and planted a kiss on his lips before beginning to eat as Chelsea slept contently in her left arm.

* * *

As soon they pulled up at the school, Zac excitedly undone his seat belt and tried to open the car door to get out. "Mommy, Mommy, open the door."

Olivia got out and opened the door. "Where's your manners, young man?"

"Please and thank you," he said with a smirk and jumped out of the car.

"Give me a kiss before you go," she said and squatted down as Elliot got out of the car.

"Bye, Mommy," he said and gave her a kiss before taking his daddy's hand, who was taking him to his class.

"Bye, baby," she replied and got back in to the car. Chelsea was sleeping in her car seat in the back seat. She watched Elliot and Zac walk in to the school building, disappearing out of sight. "My baby boy is growing up so fast," she whispered and sighed before looking in to the back to look at Chelsea, well her chubby belly down. "Promise Mommy you won't grow up too fast, Chelsea." She sighed again and leaned back in to the seat. She was exhausted and still sore from Chelsea's birth, just a few days before.

* * *

"Daddy?" Zac spoke up as they walked in to the building.

"Yes, kiddo?"

"Mommy's tired."

"Yeah, I know, son. Chelsea is keeping us busy but don't worry, we've always got time for you," he assured him.

"You sure, Daddy?"

Reaching the class, Elliot stopped Zac and squatted down in front of him. "Zac, buddy, you are our first born. Mommy and I will always love you and have time for you, okay? You will always be Mommy's little man and my little helper."

Zachary nodded and kissed Elliot's cheek. "Love you, Daddy. See you later."

"Love you too, son," Elliot replied and watched his son happily walk in to the classroom, his little backpack lightly bouncing up and down on his back. He smiled and headed back out of the building, back to Olivia and Chelsea.

He found Chelsea still asleep in her car seat but Olivia was now standing up beside the car. "Baby, are you okay?" he asked concerned, cupping her face in his hand.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded and rested her forehead against his. "Just still sore from the birth," she whispered and pecked him on the lips.

"You want to head straight back home?"

"Yes please," she replied and Elliot reluctantly pulled away.

"Okay, beautiful. Let's go," he said and helped her back in to the car before getting in himself.

"Was Zac okay going in to class for the first time?" she asked after a while of silence except for the radio and Chelsea's occasional whimper in her sleep as she dreamed.

"Yeah, he was so excited. He'll be fine, honey," he assured her and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze before putting his hand back on the steering wheel. "He has the same teacher that Emily and I had, so he's in good hands."

"You didn't tell me that."

Elliot shrugged and turned down another street. "I guess I forgot. I'm sorry, baby."

"It's okay, El. We've had a busy week. I forgive you," she said and squinted her eyes, looking up ahead. "El, you see all that black smoke?" she asked, pointing to it.

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Is it just me or does it look like it's coming from somewhere near our apartment building?" she asked, beginning to freak out.

"Oh crap, you're right, Liv, it does took. I would speed up but I'm not game enough with Chelsea in the back and starting in the police academy tomorrow, it wouldn't look good I get a speeding fine," he said, continuing to drive at the same speed. The speed limit.

Both hoping the fire wasn't at their building. They had too much to lose in their apartment and especially with a newborn baby and a five year old, it would be worse if they lost their home.


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. If you want more, you know what to do, please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything recognize.**

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The fire was at their apartment building, two floors above theirs.

"Oh, God," Olivia cried as they pulled up at the road block set up a block away.

"Sir, this area is closed please turn around and drive away," a male uniformed officer from their local precinct said.

"That's our apartment building," Elliot replied.

The officer pulled a piece of folded paper out of his pocket and opened it. "I have a list of tenants here. Name?"

"Mr and Mrs Stabler. Apartment Six E," he told the officer.

"Yep, okay. Well you can't go near the building until the fire has been extinguished and declared safe. Have you, your wife and baby got somewhere safe to stay?"

Elliot nodded. "My mother's, a few blocks away."

"Well if you give me the phone number, I'll call you when the area is declared safe and you can go in your apartment to see what is salvageable."

Elliot gave the officer Angie's home phone number before doing a u-turn and driving back toward Angie's house.

"We just had Chelsea a few days ago and then this happens!" Olivia cried.

They couldn't afford to lose all their personal belongings and their home with a five year old and a newborn.

"I don't know, baby, but whatever happens, we'll make it," he tried to assure her and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze before putting his hand back on the steering wheel. He was trying to keep positive for Olivia's sake.

Just as he turned down another street, Chelsea decided to let her parents know that she needed a diaper change. Elliot pulled over and let Olivia get in to the backseat with her before continuing on their way to his mother's house.

"It's okay, sweetie," Olivia cooed, rubbing her chubby baby belly, which contracted with each screaming breath.

Chelsea's little face reddened and her tongue vibrated as she wailed.

"Oh, I know, baby, Mommy knows. Mommy will change your diaper when we get to Grammy's house," she tried to assure the newborn.

-0-0-0-0-0-

As soon as they pulled in to the driveway, Angie ran out of the house to greet them.

"Oh, God, I heard about your apartment building on the news and saw the smoke. I'm so glad that you're okay," she cried, running over to them as they got out of the car.

"We were dropping Zac off for his first day of kindergarten and noticed it on the way home," Elliot assured his mother with a kiss on the cheek as Olivia got Chelsea out of the baby capsule.

"El, honey, could you please grab the diaper bag?" Olivia called out to him. "I need to change Chelsea's diaper."

"I'll grab it, El, you can go and turn the television on, if you want," Angie offered and headed over to the back of the car. "Hey, Liv."

"Hi, Angie," Olivia greeted her mother in law as she gently rocked her newborn daughter.

"How's my new grand-baby?" she asked, grabbing the diaper bag out of the car and shutting the door.

"Still getting used to life outside my womb," Olivia replied and kissed the side of Chelsea's head. "Isn't that right, bubba?"

Chelsea screamed again, protesting her wet, soiled diaper.

"Oh, baby girl. Mommy will change your diaper in a minute," she assured the infant as the three of them headed inside the house.

"Thanks," she whispered, taking the diaper bag from Angie before heading upstairs in to the room that Zac used when he slept over, Elliot's old bedroom, to change the baby.

Olivia placed the baby changing pad down on the single bed and then laid Chelsea on it. "Let's get a clean, fresh diaper on you, huh, princess?" she cooed as she began to undress her.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"So how is Zac handling a new baby in the house and having to share the attention?" Angie asked her son as the two of them sat on the couch, watching the news on the television.

The fire at their apartment building was being shown again. The local police believed it was suspiciously lit by an arsonist. It had been started in an empty apartment, which was due to have a family move in the next day.

"He's been pretty good," Elliot replied. "He's had some moments but he loves to help out. He likes to help bath her and when Olivia changes Chelsea, Zac likes to help pick out an outfit. Early this morning, he even got up when he woke to Chelsea's cries, to help Liv but when Liv said, 'Thank you but you should get some sleep for school,' he got cranky."

"He really loves his little sister," Angie agreed with a smile. "You were almost exactly the same when Emily was born. I remember the day we brought her home from the hospital," she remembered. "You had stayed home with your brother and sister and as soon as we walked in the door, you abandoned your toys and ran up to greet us. You were so excited. You were practically bouncing up and down, begging us to let you see your 'bubby sisa.' It was so darn cute," Angie continued with a big smile. "Your dad sat the baby capsule on the floor and you squatted down in front of it and kissed Emily's head as she slept, vowing to always protect her. And to this day, you've kept your promise to her and she knows it, El."

Elliot nodded. "And I promise to continue to keep it."

"Oh, I know you will, honey," Angie said and kissed his cheek.

Realizing his wife and baby had still not emerged from the diaper change, Elliot looked at his watch. "It doesn't take this long to change a diaper," he muttered to himself, concerned.

"Go check on them, son. I've got some washing to do anyway," she said and got up, heading toward the laundry.

Elliot got up himself and rushed up the stairs, to his old bedroom.

He found Olivia standing by the bedroom window, looking out. She was softly humming and rocking side to side, looking down at Chelsea. "Liv?" he called out softly.

"Hey," she replied, just as softly and turned around, revealing her breastfeeding. "Didn't mean to worry you but Chelsea was hungry," she assured her husband. She had an ability to read his mind a lot of the time.

"Sorry I can't help but worry," he said, approaching her and gave them both a kiss.

"I know, El, it's one of the many things I love about you but worrying so much will only make you sick," she whispered, resting her forehead against his before wincing in pain.

"You okay, baby? Did she clamp down too hard?" Elliot asked, cupping her cheek in his hand and caressing her cheekbone with his thumb.

"Yeah," she replied and kissed Chelsea's forehead. "Slow down a bit, bubba. There's plenty of milk for you," she whispered.

Elliot stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder, to watch Chelsea nurse. "She's so beautiful," he said and kissed Olivia's neck.

"Yeah, she is. I can't imagine life without her. Or you or Zac for that matter," she replied and rested her head against his as they both continued to watch Chelsea.

"I've noticed you keep calling her 'bubba'. Where did that nickname come from?"

Rubbing the newborn baby's back, Olivia sighed.

"What, beautiful?"

"My grandmother used to call me 'bubba'... She died when I was ten," Olivia answered. "As soon as Dr Calibee announced she was a girl and placed her on my chest... I looked at Chelsea and 'bubba' came straight to mind. I hope you don't mind," she said and lifted Chelsea up when she released he nipple.

"Of course, Livia. I don't mind at all, I actually think it's sweet," he replied and took Chelsea from her to burp.

"Thank you," she said, fixing her bra and t-shirt.

"No need to thank me, gorgeous," he assured her, beginning to rub Chelsea's back.

"I'm going to grab a drink. You want one?"

Elliot shook his head. "No thank you, baby. It's okay, go get one, I'll burp Chelsea."

"Okay," Olivia said through a yawn and slowly headed out the room.

She walked in to the kitchen to see Angie cleaning the kitchen counter.

"Hi, Angie," she greeted her and went to the fridge.

"Hey, Liv. How you feeling?" Angie asked, continuing to clean.

"Good but tired and sore," she replied, grabbing the orange juice jug from the fridge before grabbing a glass from a cupboard.

"Still sore from Chelsea's birth?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. Her head was bigger then Zac's even though she was smaller," she said and took a sip of her drink.

"I can give you some tips for pain relief, if you like," Angie offered, washing her hands.

"Oh, yes, please, Angie. That would be great thanks."

"No, problem, honey. Let's sit down," she said, motioning to the kitchen table.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Once Chelsea burped, Elliot carried her downstairs and was about to walk in to the kitchen but hearing his wife and mother having a private conversation he decided against it.

"Let's watch some television, angel," he cooed to the newborn and sat down on the couch.

Chelsea yawned and aimlessly reached up to her father, just staring up at nothing in particular. Wanting her pacifier, she started to whimper.

"Liv, baby?" he called to his wife.

"Yes, hon?" Olivia called back.

"Where's Chelsea's pacifier?" he asked, standing up again.

"In her diaper bag in the bedroom but when you get it, you'll have to bring it to me, El. Bubba won't take it unless I wet it first, just like Zacy did at her age."

"Okay, beautiful," Elliot replied and headed upstairs again. "Hang on, sweetie," he whispered.

Olivia yawned for the second time in five minutes.

"Chelsea keeping you up, honey?"

"Yeah. She's a really light sleeper and gets lonely pretty quickly," Olivia replied and rubbed her hands down her face.

"She'll start sleeping better soon, Liv, remember Zacy did," Angie assured her daughter in law.

"Yeah, I know," Olivia replied and turned just in time to see Elliot walk in with Chelsea and a pacifier in hand.

"Here you go, Liv," Elliot said and passed her the pink pacifier.

"Thanks," Olivia replied, taking it. She put it in her mouth and wet it before taking it out and passed it back to Elliot. "She'll take it now."

Elliot took the binky and slipped it in to a grumpy Chelsea's mouth.

She took it straight away and settled down.

"There you go, sweetheart," Elliot whispered and kissed her forehead. "You want to go to Mommy?"

"Come here, bubba," Olivia cooed, taking the baby as Angie got up to answer the ringing phone.

Chelsea grunted and moved uncoordinated in her mother's arms.

"El, telephone," Angie called.

"Must be the officer," Elliot said and kissed Olivia on the lips before going to answer the phone.

"I hope we didn't lose anything," Olivia said sadly as Angie walked back in. "I don't want to lose all the photos or Zachary's baby album, which has everything, even things from my pregnancy."

Angie sighed. "It will be devastating if you have, but, sweetie, the main thing is that you'll safe," she said, rubbing Olivia's back.

Olivia sighed and nuzzled her nose softly in to Chelsea's soft cheek, inhaling her unique baby scent. "Oh, what are we going to do, huh, Chelsea?"

Hearing Elliot walk back in, Angie looked up. "Was it the officer, El?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied and kissed Olivia's head. "Babe, we can go back to the apartment to pack but that's it. The building is being condemned," he said sadly.

Olivia looked up, tears in her eyes. "But, El, that's our home."

"I know, beautiful, but it's unlivable now. It's going to be knocked down. Come on," we need to hire a trailer and start packing. They've only given us till sundown to pack as much as we can," he said and helped her up as she still cradled their daughter.

"Okay," she whispered, "I guess we better get started."


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything, except Zachary, Chelsea and Angie.  
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Pulling up at the place they considered home, Elliot and Olivia both sighed. They were both going to miss this place. They had so many memories there in that small, two bedroom apartment, up there on the sixth floor of the building.

"I'm really going to really miss this place. Zac is going to be devastated. It's the only home he has ever known," Olivia said sadly and rubbed Chelsea's chubby belly as she slept in the baby seat. She was sitting in the back with the baby and Angela sat in the front passenger seat, she was there to help with the packing, then she'd go and pick up Zachary from kindergarten at lunch time while Elliot and Olivia continued to pack.

"We'll get through it, baby. We're strong, we'll beat it," Elliot assured her and got out of the car before opening the back car door for her as Angie picked Chelsea up out of the baby capsule.

Olivia got out of the car and straight in to her husband's embrace, burying her face in to his chest, inhaling the calming scent of his cologne and aftershave.

"We'll be okay, sweetie," Elliot assured her and kissed the crown of her head, rubbing her back. "We have insurance. We'll find a new place, a three bedroom, so you can design a nursery for Chelsea."

"Yeah," Olivia sighed contently in to his touch. "Bubba can have her own little stars and moons paradise," she said before reluctantly letting go of Elliot. "We better start packing."

"Yeah, we better, I guess," he said and took her hand in his as they walked in to the building, toward the elevator.

The building was quite busy with people heading back to their apartments to pack up their belongings. The fire had tore through two floors, narrowly missing their floor.

The owner was sick and couldn't afford to pay for the building to be repaired, so he was just leaving the place.

Now pushing Chelsea in the carriage, Olivia clenched Elliot's hand as they stepped out on to the sixth floor, with Angie close behind them.

"It will be okay, Liv," Elliot assured his wife and gently squeezed her hand back.

Olivia sighed. "I hope so," she replied sadly.

"It will be, baby," he said again and kissed her cheek before getting out the apartment key and unlocking the door.

The place was luckily untouched, except for the burnt ceiling. They didn't lose irreplaceable items, like photos and Zac's baby book, or anything else luckily, but they had been close. They only lost their apartment, but Angie had been secretly at first, paying extra on their rent for insurance, so if something like this happened, they could find another place to live but until the insurance came in, they'd be staying at the Stabler family home.

"We better pack, beautiful," Elliot whispered and pecked her on the lips.

Sighing, Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she replied and pushed the stroller containing a now awake Chelsea, in to the master bedroom.

"What would you like me to pack, El?" Angie asked.

"Could you please pack Zachary's room?"

"Sure," Angie replied and headed in to her grandson's bedroom as Elliot headed in to the master bedroom.

He found Olivia laying on their bed. "We need to pack, babe," he said, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"I know," she whispered and sat up. "This is so the wrong time for this. Chelsea is only three days old and Zachary only started kindergarten today," she said and ran a hand through her hair.

"I totally agree, Liv, trust me, I do. But there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is pack up and move on," he said, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

Olivia nodded. "Let's get started then."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Walking out of the kindergarten class happily, Zachary couldn't wait to see his mommy and daddy and tell them about his morning, but was confused to see his grammy standing there waiting for him.

"Grammy?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Hey, Zacy," Angie greeted him, taking his hand in hers.

"Where's Mommy and Daddy and Chelsea?" he asked concerned as they walked out of the school building to the car.

Angie sighed sadly. "They're packing up the apartment, kiddo."

"Why? Am I moving in with you? Don't Mommy and Daddy want me no more?" he asked, beginning to panic.

"Oh no, baby, they want you," Angie assured him and squatted down in front of them. "There was a fire at your apartment building and they're going to knock it down, handsome. So Mommy and Daddy are packing. You guys are going to live with me and Aunt Emily for a while till you find a new place to live," she explained and kissed his forehead before straightening up again.

"Okay," Zachary nodded sadly and took his grandmother's hand again as they headed in to the car, parked in the parking lot.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Walking in to the apartment, Zachary ran straight toward the master bedroom as his grandmother locked the front door behind them.

"Mommy! Daddy! Chelsea!" he called, running in to the room.

"Hi there, handsome," Olivia said and dropped what she was packing to give him a big hug. She kissed his head and inhaled the scent of his shampoo.

"Grammy said that we're moving, Mommy," he said sadly and looked up at his mommy with tears in his eyes, clones of Olivia's.

"I'm afraid so, baby. I'm sorry," she said, caressing his cheek. "Why don't you read with Grammy for a while. Mommy and Daddy need to keep packing."

"What about Chelsea?"

"Well I have to feed her soon but when I change her, you can help me, if you want to," she offered.

Zac nodded with a small smile. "My room already packed?"

"Yeah, Zacy. Grammy packed it up, so she'll have to get you a book out. Off you go, we have a lot of work to do," she said and patted his bottom.

Zachary giggled and ran in to the living room to Angie, who was packing some things up in there.

"Grammy, you please read me a story?"

"Sure, kiddo. Let's go pick one from a box in your room. But only one because we have to finish packing and then everything to my place," she said, as they walked toward Zachary's bedroom, well his old bedroom.

"Will Aunt Emily be there tonight?" he asked, hopeful. He loved his Aunt. His partner in crime for as long as he could remember.

"She should be but she could possibly be studying, so she won't be able to play for long."

"Oh okay," Zachary replied sadly. "Let's go find a book."

-0-0-0-0-0-

As Elliot dismantled the crib, Olivia packed Chelsea's things in to a suitcase.

"You okay, Liv? You're a little quiet there," he asked as he packed the now unassembled crib.

"Yeah," Olivia sighed, folding up one of Chelsea's tiny dresses and put it in the suitcase.

Elliot stood behind Olivia and wrapped his arms around her mid section, making her drop the tiny pair of pajamas in her hand. He then rested his hands on her post baby belly and kissed her neck. "Liv, honey, you know you can talk to me about anything. I know this is a terrible thing, which couldn't have happened at a worse time but we're strong. We've been through a lot and we'll get through this too, it's just another obstacle," he assured his wife.

"Yeah, I know," Olivia replied and picked up Chelsea's pajamas again, folding them and putting them in with the rest of the baby items before zipping up the large suitcase, just as Chelsea began to wail hungrily from stroller.

"Sit on the bed, baby. I'll pick Chelsea up and pass her to you," he told her over the baby's screams.

Olivia sat on the bed and got herself situated, ready to feed her child.

"Come on, princess," Elliot murmured to his daughter as he delicately picked her up as she continued to wail and squirm. "Let's go to Mommy," he said and passed her to Olivia.

"Come here, bubba," Olivia cooed, taking the newborn in to her arms.

"I'm going to help my mom pack the kitchen and living room," Elliot informed her and pecked her on the lips.

Olivia kissed him back and smiled tiredly and sadly. "I'll be there soon," she replied and watched her husband walk out of the room before turning her attention back to Chelsea.

Elliot walked in to the living room to find his mother and his son packing up the living room.

Zachary was grabbing the small, light items and passing them to Angie to wrap and pack.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them. "I think we should take some stuff to the house and get some early dinner before coming back for more," he suggested. "But we need to wait till after Mommy has to finish feeding Chelsea."

"Yeah!" Zachary cheered. "Pizza!"

Elliot laughed, shaking his head. "We'll see, kiddo. We can't get anything expensive, we don't have the money."

"I'll pay for dinner, El," Angie instantly offered.

"Mom, thanks, but..."

"No buts, honey. It's my pleasure," she said and threw her car keys to Elliot. "Let's start putting stuff in the car while Olivia is nursing Chelsea."

"I'll just tell Olivia first. Could you please grab Zac's stuff first?" Elliot asked his mother.

"Sure, El. Come on, Zacy," Angie said and took Zachary's hand in hers, both following Elliot before turning in to the second bedroom.

Elliot found his wife already burping their daughter when he entered again. "Hey, didn't she eat much?"

Continuing to rub and pat Chelsea's back, Olivia shook her head. "No, she's a little fussy this afternoon. I think she's going to give us a rough night but I'll handle her tonight, you have police academy tomorrow and you can't be tired," she said and Chelsea burped loudly in her ear. "Oh, there you go, bubba," she cooed and kissed Chelsea's cheek.

"We're taking stuff to my mom's now," Elliot informed her, taking their daughter and gently laying her in her stroller as Olivia got up. "Then we're getting some early dinner and coming back for more. Unfortunately we're going to have to leave some stuff behind, I don't think we have time to pack everything," he said, grabbing some heavy stuff.

Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Let's make sure we have all the important and irreplaceable stuff and all the kids' belongings."

"It's okay, Liv. It's all worked out. The only thing being left behind are things we barely or never use and don't need or won't miss," he assured her and pecked her on the lips. "Come on, gorgeous, we better get to work."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Olivia woke the next morning in Elliot's older brother's old bedroom, which was now the spare bedroom, in the queen size bed. She stretched and yawned, opening her eyes to notice that Elliot had already left and Chelsea seemed to be still sleeping in her crib. She looked on the clock, it was now 7:54 AM and Chelsea hadn't woken her. Olivia jumped out of bed and ran to the crib. It was empty. She gasped and bolted down the stairs, nearly falling a couple times on the way down. "Angie! Zachary!" she called out in a panic.

"Liv, honey, what's the matter?" Angie asked, walking in to the living room from the kitchen. Zac was walking in beside her and a cranky Chelsea in her arms.

"Oh, my God. My babies," Olivia breathed and gently took Chelsea in to her arms, cuddling her close. She nuzzled her daughter's soft cheek, inhaling her baby scent. "Hey, sweetie-pie," she cooed and kissed Chelsea's forehead.

"Liv, what's got you so panicked? You know they're safe with me," Angie asked, concerned.

Sighing, Olivia looked up at her mother in law. "I know, Angie, I'm sorry. I just... Chelsea hadn't woken me in five hours and then I saw her empty crib and I panicked."

"I gave her a bottle of breast milk that you pumped last night, so you could get some more rest and Zac helped me change her diaper before we got him ready for kindergarten," Angie explained. "She'll probably be hungry again soon though. I was about to give her a bath."

"Thanks, Angie, but I'll do it. Morning, Zacy-boy. Want to help me bath Chelsea before Grammy takes you to school?"

Zachary smiled. "Yes please, Mommy."

"Okay, bud. Let's go upstairs to the bathroom, where Chelsea's baby bath is," she said and guided him upstairs.

Olivia filled up the pink, plastic baby bath with lukewarm water before undressing Chelsea and laying her in the water, holding her up, to keep her head above the water. "Baby, could you please grab the baby wash?" she asked Zac, pointing to the item, she'd purposely left, so Zac could grab it, to feel as if he was helping out.

"Yep," Zachary said and grabbed the small bottle and passed it to his mommy.

"Thank you, honey," Olivia said, taking it. She opened it and squirted some on her hand. "Hey, bubba. Let's get you nice and clean, huh?" she cooed as she washed the baby.

"Chelsea," Zachary said, rubbing his baby sister's head with his small, wet hand. "Mommy's going to make you smell really pretty," he told her and kissed her forehead, causing Olivia to smile as she continued to wash Chelsea.

Chelsea grunted and kicked her legs as she blinked her beautiful blue eyes.

"Mommy, when will she start to talk?" Zac asked, curiously, continuing to watch the newborn, who frowned and started to cry.

"Not for a while, Zacy. Could you please grab me that small pink towel?" she asked, over Chelsea's wailing.

Zachary quickly grabbed it and helped his mother wrap Chelsea up warmly as soon as her tiny body emerged from the warmth of the water

"Thanks, bud. Want to help choose her outfit?"

"Yes please," he said, walking beside Olivia in to the bedroom, she, Elliot and Chelsea were using. "She should wear a pretty dress," he giggled and opened up the suitcase with the baby clothes in."

Olivia smiled and laid Chelsea on a changing pad on the bed. "Don't forget a diaper, Zacy."

"Yep, yep," he said and lifted up a diaper to show that he had one as she continued to pick out a dress.

Grinning, Olivia shook her head, drying Chelsea's little body.

Yeah, they were going to get through this and find a new place just fine. They were tough, they could do this.


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: This chapter is for TStabler. Her stories are so awesome! For more please read and review. The next chapter is already handwritten, just needs to be typed. So the more reviews, the quicker the update.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Angie, Emily, Zachary and Chelsea.**

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Three days had passed and the stress of losing their apartment was getting to Olivia and Elliot. Chelsea was colicky and Zachary was beginning to act up in kindergarten, which was making it worse, putting a strain on their marriage.

Elliot walked in to the house from his day at the Police Academy to find his sister watching the television with his son. He greeted them and headed in to the kitchen, where he found his mother and his daughter. Angie was cooking dinner as Chelsea laid wide awake in her new bassinet, that Angie had bought for her.

"Hi, sweetie," Elliot whispered and kissed Chelsea's cheek before turning to Angie. "Hi, Mom. Where's Liv?"

"Hi, honey," Angie greeted her son with a kiss on the cheek. "Liv's out on the back deck. I think she's still upset from your fight this morning. You two need to support each other through this. I know it's stressful but you'll get through this," she insisted.

Elliot sighed. "Yeah, I know, Mom," he said and headed out through the back door.

He found Olivia sitting on the porch swing with her legs curled up to her side, on the swing, just staring out at the backyard. "Liv, baby."

Olivia looked up at him with a sad smile. "Hey."

Sighing, Elliot walked over to her, lifted her feet and sat down, resting them on his lap. "I'm so sorry about this morning, gorgeous," he apologized, rubbing her feet.

Olivia turned on to her back and looked in to her husband's beautiful blue eyes. "I'm sorry too, El," she apologized in return. "I didn't mean it when I called you an insensitive, adolescent prick. You're my handsome, brave, loving husband and I love you so damn much," she assured him.

Exhaling a deep breath in relief, Elliot climbed on top of her, keeping his weight off her and claimed her lips, beginning a deep, passionate kiss. "I love you too, Liv," he mumbled against her lips.

Olivia deepened the kiss and cupped the back of his head, combing her fingers through his short brown hair.

Pulling away reluctantly with a smile, Elliot said, "Hmm, raspberries."

"Lip gloss," Olivia laughed before they were disturbed by someone clearing their throat in the doorway.

Elliot got off of Olivia and they both sat up, looking over to see Angie standing there.

"Sorry to disturb you but there's a cranky little girl in her bassinet, who wants her mommy."

"Thanks, Angie," Olivia said as she got up and headed inside to tend to her baby girl. "Hi, princess," Olivia cooed as she picked up the baby girl. "What's the matter, huh? Want to tell Mommy?" She headed up the stairs as she gently bounced Chelsea up and down in her arms.

Reaching the bedroom that they were using, Olivia closed the door behind her and laid Chelsea on the bed. "Do you need a fresh diaper?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't get an answer and checked. "Nope, you're clean and dry. You can't be hungry yet, Mommy only fed you not long ago, so what's wrong, bubba? You're a very cranky little girl," she spoke softly and kissed Chelsea's chubby baby cheek as she picked her back up. "On second thought, let's try something, baby," she said and laid Chelsea back down again. She took off her t-shirt and bra before undressing Chelsea, just leaving her in her diaper. "Come on, Chelsea." She picked the baby up again and laid down on the bed, placing Chelsea on her chest as close to her heart as she could, so the beating of her heart could hopefully calm her.

It took about ten minutes but Chelsea began to settle down but continued to whimper a little. Olivia reached over to the nightstand, grabbed one of Chelsea's pacifier and put it in her mouth, wetting it, before slipping it in to the newborn's mouth, effectively calming the child. "Oh, there you go, bubba," Olivia cooed, rubbing Chelsea's back as she was beginning to drift off to the calming beat of her mother's heartbeat.

A knock on the bedroom door startled Olivia after a few minutes. "Hang on a second," she called and grabbed one of Chelsea's baby blankets, covering herself and Chelsea, up to her shoulders. "Okay, come in."

The door opened and Zachary bounced in with his aunt close behind.

"Mommy!" he called, climbing up on to the bed.

"Hey, handsome. Shh, Chelsea is sleeping," she said, reaching over and caressing Zachary's cheek as she rubbed Chelsea's back under the pale purple blanket. "Hi, Emily."

"Hey, Liv. Mom told us to come in here to tell you dinner was ready."

"Thanks, Em. Where's El?" she asked, worried.

"He just went down to the store to get a few things. He should be home any minute now," Emily assured her sister in law.

Olivia nodded. "Okay, Chelsea and I will be down soon. Zacy, did you wash your hands for dinner yet?" she asked, looking at her mischievous five year old boy.

"Yep," Zachary said, nodding, but refused to show his dirty hands.

Shaking her head, Olivia smiled. "Buddy, go wash your hands. I'll ask Aunt Emily later if you did or not."

With a groan, Zachary nodded and jumped off the bed. "Yes, Mommy," he said and stomped out, causing to Olivia to sigh.

"I'll make sure he washes them, Liv," Emily assured her and headed out.

"Oh, what am I going to do with your big brother, huh, Chelsea?" Olivia exhaled a deep, frustrated breath and kissed the newborn's head as she continued to sleep, contently.

She must've fallen asleep because she woke up to the feel of someone picking Chelsea up off her chest. Her eyes shot open as she sprung up.

"Whoa! Calm down there, beautiful, it's just me," Elliot assured her as he laid their daughter in her crib.

"Oh," Olivia said, trying to calm herself down. "I must've fallen asleep."

"Yeah, you did, babe, but it's okay," he said and planted a kiss on her lips. "Our dinner are being warmed up."

"What time is it?"

"It's 8:32," he replied. "You weren't asleep that long, I was going to leave you a bit longer, that's why I picked Chelsea up, but now you're awake, we should get dinner," he said and helped her up, taking her hand in his. "Come on, gorgeous."

Olivia turned on the baby monitor and took the receiver, letting Elliot gently guide her out and downstairs, into the kitchen.

Catching sight of the kitchen, Olivia gasped. It had been set up romantically.

"Oh, wow. It's so beautiful, El," she cried happily and wrapped her arms around him, claiming his lips, beginning a deep, passionate kiss.

"My way of apologizing, baby," he said and kissed her again.

"We'll get through this. We'll find a new place, we'll raise Zachary and Chelsea, work and hopefully have another child one day."

"Not for a while," Olivia laughed. "Not ready for all that pain again yet. Maybe when Chelsea has started school," she said, only maybe half honestly.

Elliot laughed too and entwined his fingers with hers. "Okay, Liv, but honestly, the point of what I am saying is that, we'll get through this. We'll move on and be stronger then ever," he assured her and kissed the tip of her nose, then her lips again.

"Yeah, we will," Olivia agreed. "Where are Angie, Emily and Zachary?"

"Went to catch a movie."

"But it's past Zac's bedtime," Olivia panicked.

"Liv," Elliot said, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "It's Friday night and just this once it's okay, settle down. It's just you and me until Chelsea needs something and she'll let us know through the baby monitor. Let's just enjoy this time," he said and took her hand, leading her to the table. He pulled out a seat. "Take a seat, madam," he joked and pushed Olivia up to the table, once she sat down before taking a seat across from her.

Small talk was made over dinner, mostly about Zac and Chelsea but it was romantic and Olivia was appreciative of the peaceful, romantic dinner with just her husband... And her baby girl, who was sleeping peacefully in her crib upstairs.

They could hear her soft, quick breathing and the occasional whimper as she dreamed.

"You think that Zachary has a behavioral problem?" Olivia asked suddenly and sadly.

Elliot put down his fork with a sigh and placed his hand on top of Olivia's, on the table, caressing the back of it with the pad of his thumb. "I don't know, babe, but let's talk about it later. This is supposed to be a romantic dinner," he told her softly.

"I know. I'm sorry, I'm just worried about him. He's just starting to act completely out of character."

"Yeah, I know, baby," Elliot said, only to be cut off by Chelsea, who started to wail from her crib.

"I'll get her," Olivia whispered and got up, heading up the stairs, to the bedroom. "Hey, sweetie," she cooed, picking up the newborn. "It's okay now, Momma's got you." She kissed Chelsea's forehead and rubbed her back. "You spat out your binky, bubba. Let's put it back in, huh?" she said and grabbed the pale pink pacifier from within the crib.

Olivia then put it in her mouth to wet it and slipped in to her little mouth.

"See all better now. Did you have a nightmare?" she asked, rubbing her tiny back, not expecting an answer.

"She might've dreamed about the night she was born," Elliot whispered and wrapped his arms around Olivia, placing his hands on Chelsea's arm and leg as she grunted and squirmed in her mother's arms.

"Yeah maybe. She seems okay now though," Olivia replied and kissed her cheek before laying her back down in the crib. "Let's cuddle in bed while we still have peace and quiet."

"Yeah," Elliot agreed and took her hand, guiding her to the bed.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N: Wow 50 chapters, definately a record for me! LOL. If you want more please read and review. Next chapter is already handwritten just needs to be typed, so the more reviews the faster the update.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary, Chelsea, Angie and Emily.**

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Slowly waking up, Olivia yawned and opened her eyes, catching a glance of the alarm clock. It was nine past six in the morning and Chelsea had yet to wake her. She jumped out of the bed and ran over to the crib. Something was very wrong, she couldn't see the distinctive rise and fall of her tiny chest. She wasn't breathing. Olivia instantly picked up the newborn baby and laid her on the floor to perform CPR.

Elliot woke to his wife's sobs and shot up in the bed. He found Olivia trying to resuscitate their child.

"Liv!" he cried, jumping out of the bed and running to her.

"I can't get her to breath, El," she sobbed and tried again.

A tear fell from Elliot's eye as he put a hand over Olivia's on Chelsea's chest. "How long you been doing CPR, baby?"

"Forty minutes."

Another tear fell from his eye as he wrapped his arms around his wife to stop her movements. "It's too late, beautiful," he sobbed himself. "She's gone."

"No!" Olivia cried and shot up in bed with a gasp, her hand on her chest.

"Liv, what is it?" Elliot's groggy voice came from the other side of the bed, rolling over to face her.

"Chelsea!" Olivia whispered, jumping out of the bed and ran over to the crib. She saw Chelsea's little chest rise and fall with each breath she took as she slept.

Olivia sighed in relief but she had to double check, so she gently woke the infant up and sighed again in relief when Chelsea began to cry, unhappy at being disturbed. "Hey, baby girl. Mama's sorry, I just had to make sure you were okay," she cooed as she delicately lifted the baby up and cuddled her to her chest.

"Liv, honey, what's wrong?" Elliot asked concerned as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, one hand on her hip and the other on Chelsea's head, stroking her downy dark brown, almost black, hair. "What's going on, baby? What's got you so spooked?" he asked again, just as softly.

Olivia sighed and rested her head against her husband's, not taking her eyes off Chelsea, who continued to whimper and squirm in her arms, looking around at nothing in particular. "I had a nightmare," she confessed as she began to rock Chelsea back to sleep.

"You only fed her about an hour and a half ago, what could you have dreamed in the short time that you were asleep, sweetie?" Elliot asked and kissed the side of her neck.

"I dreamed that I woke to find Chelsea not breathing. I did CPR but... I couldn't save her," she cried softly and lightly kissed Chelsea's cheek.

"Oh, Liv, honey, it was just a bad dream. Chelsea is just fine, see, she's grunting and squirming in your arms, looking around and sucking on her pacifier. She's just fine," he assured his wife and kissed her neck again. "Why don't you put her back down? She's drifting back off to sleep."

"No," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I can't." She couldn't let Chelsea out of her sight, even for a second.

"Liv, she's fine, okay? I know you had a bad dream but that's all it was, a dream," he said and gently took Chelsea from Olivia. He kissed her forehead, laid her down in the crib and tucked her in before winding up the mobile. "Come on, gorgeous, time to go back to sleep," he said and guided her back to bed. He helped her back into bed, tucked her in and climbed in behind her, wrapping his arms around her, planting a kiss on her bare shoulder blade.

It took about forty five minutes but Olivia finally managed to drift back off to sleep to the sounds of Chelsea's soft, quick breathing as she slept in the crib, the lullaby being played by the mobile and Elliot's breathing behind her. Also to Elliot's soothing caresses.

Elliot continued to rub Olivia's arms, stomach and temples for awhile to make sure she was in a deep sleep before he gently and slowly got up off the bed and tip-toed out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

He headed down the hall to see Zachary walking up the stairs, holding his arm and crying. "What happened, kiddo?" he asked concerned, picking him up and perching him on his hip, being careful of the scrape on his knee.

Sniffling, Zachary lifted up his left arm to show his father his elbow. It was grazed and bleeding. "I fell over, daddy."

"Oh, how did you do that, son?" he asked, carrying Zac into the bathroom to clean the wounds.

"I was playing tag with Aunt Emily and fell off the back deck on to the path," he told his daddy.

Elliot sat Zachary on the bathroom counter and wet a face cloth. "Let's clean them up, buddy," he said and put some anti bacterial stuff on the wet face cloth. "This is going to hurt but if you can show Daddy that you're a big boy, I will give you a chocolate frog, one of those ones that Grammy made yesterday."

Zachary smiled but then hissed in pain as Elliot cleaned the graze on his knee first. "I'm a big boy... I'm a big boy... I'm a big boy," he murmured to himself over and over again.

"Yes, you are a big boy, Zacy, and you're doing so well. Time to move on to your elbow now," he said and wet the face washer again.

Biting his bottom lip, Zachary gave his father his arm to be cleaned. As his daddy cleaned his sore, Zachary tried to be a big boy and hold back his tears. Only one or two fell against his will.

As Elliot cleaned Zachary's arm, he could hear him continue to whisper to himself. "All done. Good job, champ, you were so brave," he praised and kissed his forehead before picking up and perching him on his hip again. "Let's get a chocolate, huh?"

Zachary grinned and nodded as they headed down the stairs, toward the kitchen. "Yes please, Daddy," he said.

Entering the kitchen, they found Angie cooking breakfast for them to eat before she had to get ready for work.

"Morning, El," she greeted her son as she served up the fruit pancakes.

"Morning, Mom," Elliot replied, getting a drink, after he stood Zachary on the floor.

"Are Liv and Chelsea up yet?"

"Not yet," he answered and took a sip of apple juice.

"Well breakfast is ready, hon," Angie said and kissed his cheek before putting two plates on the table.

"Okay, I will go wake her," he sighed and treaded back up the staircase to the bedroom.

Elliot found Olivia curled up in the center of the bed. Her head was on her pillow but she was clenching Elliot's pillow to her chest as she slept, softly snoring.

She was exhausted, so Elliot didn't want to wake her up but he knew that she would also be hungry.

He walked over to the bed and sat down on the bed beside her. "Wake up, baby, wake up," he murmured and stroking back her hair.

Unhappy at being disturbed, Olivia groaned and attempted to roll over to get away but Elliot stopped her, laughing quietly, as to not wake Chelsea up in her crib. "Some things never change. Honey, wake up, breakfast is ready and I know you're hungry."

Sighing, she stretched and opened her eyes, smiling, when she was face to face with her loving husband. "Morning."

"Morning, beautiful," he replied and planted a kiss on her lips, neither caring about morning breath. "You going to come eat breakfast?" he asked, reluctantly pulling away for oxygen.

"Yeah," Olivia said, sitting up."Chelsea will want feeding and changing soon, so I'll eat while I can."

"Good idea," Elliot said, helping her up. "I'm thinking about taking Zac out to lunch and then to the park today. Just the two of us, just Daddy and Zac. You okay with that, sweetie?" he asked as they headed downstairs, hand in hand, the baby monitor turned on and in Elliot's free hand.

"Of course," Olivia assured him as they descended down the stairs. "I think it's a great idea. Zac will be so excited."

"You going to be okay by yourself with Chelsea? Mom will be at work and Emily will be out with her boyfriend."

"Yeah, we'll be fine," she replied and turned to see Zac eating his breakfast at the breakfast table. "Morning, Zacy-boy."

At the sound of his mother's voice, Zachary looked up with her smile. "Mommy!" he cried gleefully and got up, running up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You and Daddy are going out today," she said and kissed his head, rubbing his pajama top clad back. "Just the two of you."

"Really?" Zachary asked, looking up at her with a grin.

"Yeah," Olivia grinned back with a nod.

"Awesome." Zachary ran to his and jumped up, excitedly. "We go now?"

Elliot laughed and picked him up. "You've got to have a bath and get dressed first. And I have to shower and get dressed too before we can go, kiddo."

"Bath now. Bath now," Zac begged.

"I need to eat breakfast first, son. Why don't you ask Aunt Emily to run you a bath and read a story to you while you are in there."

"Yeah! Aunt Emily!?" he yelled, running to find her.

"Ask nicely, Zac," Elliot reminded his son as he and Olivia sat down at the breakfast table.

Zachary giggled and ran upstairs to find Emily sitting on her bed, reading a book. "Aunt Emily?"

"Yes, Zacy?" Emily asked, looking up at her nephew.

"Could you please run me a bath and read me a story while I'm in there?" he asked, politely.

Nodding, Emily put her bookmark in the book and placed it down on her bed before getting up. "Sure, kiddo. Go pick a story while I run it for you," she said, heading into the bathroom.

Zachary happily ran in to his room and looked through the book shelf for his favorite picture book before making his way to the bathroom.

Warm water was filling the tub. Emily squirted in some bubble bath and put in some of Zachary's bath time toys.

"This one, Aunt Emily," Zac said, showing her the selected book.

"Okay, Zacy. Get in the tub and get washed up," she said, taking the book before turning off the water when it reached a certain level.

Zachary got undressed, put his pajamas in the hamper before getting in the warm tub of bubbly water, hissing in pain when the water hit his sores.

After asking if Zachary was okay, Emily closed the lid of the toilet and sat down on it before opening up the hardcover book and beginning to read out loud.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"What's the matter, honey?" Elliot asked Olivia, after she sighed for the third time in five minutes.

Olivia put her fork down on her plate and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm worried about Zachary," she confessed, softly.

"He'll be okay," he tried to assure her. "He's just adjusting to school and our current situation. Once he's used to school and we're settled in a new apartment or house, he'll probably be back to his usual self," he said and reached on the table, placing his hand on Olivia's, caressing the back of it with his thumb.

Olivia sighed again and picked up her fork again, to finish her pancake. "Yeah, I hope you're right, El," she whispered.


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac and Chelsea.**

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Two months past and the Stablers finally found a small three bedroom townhouse with Angie's help. It was about a twenty minute drive from the family home.

Entering from the front door, straight ahead was the staircase, to the left was the dining room, which led through to the small, immaculate kitchen and to the right from the front door was a medium sized living area. Upstairs and to the left at the end of the hall was the second bedroom, which was now Zachary's, next was the bathroom and then it was the master bedroom, and at the end was the third bedroom, Chelsea's nursery. They just needed to paint it but it was only their third day in the new house.

Olivia woke to her two month old baby girl's lonely and hungry cries from the nursery. Chelsea was still getting used to sleeping in her own bedroom, by herself.

With a groan and a stretch, she got up and walked out of the master bedroom, into the nursery. She turned on the main light and walked up to the crib.

Chelsea's tiny fists were clenched tightly as she waved them around in the air, angrily. Her tongue vibrated with the sound of her screams as her chest and tummy contracted with each breath, her little face going red.

"Hey, hey, bubba. It's okay, sweetie-pie, Mama's got you," Olivia crooned as she picked up the infant and cuddled her to her chest. "You hungry, huh? Well let's get some milk in your belly, huh, baby girl?" She sat in the rocking chair and moved her pajama top to allow access for her hungry daughter.

*************

Waking up a little early for kindergarten, Zac decided to look for his mommy. First he looked in the master bedroom but only found his father getting dressed for the day after his shower, so he headed for the nursery. He saw the back of his mother sitting in the rocking chair, rocking back forth and softly humming.

"Mommy?" he called softly in the small room.

Olivia gently turned around, careful not to disturb a still eating Chelsea and smiled. "Morning, Zacy-boy. You're up a little early, I was going to wake you up after Chelsea was finished eating breakfast."

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he slowly approached the rocking chair, Zachary said, "That's okay, I couldn't sleep no more. I help you change Chelsea?"

"Sure, big boy," she said and reached up to caress his cheek. "You going to be a good boy at school today?"

"Yes, Mommy. I'll be a good boy," he promised with the trademark Stabler grin.

Olivia smiled back and caressed his cheek again. "Good. Go get dressed, baby. And I will call you when I am about to go change Chelsea, okay? Your clothes for school are on your little drawing table in the corner."

"Okay, Mommy," Zac said and ran out toward his bedroom.

"Walk, Zac," she reminded her son.

"Okay," Zachary grumbled and walked into his bedroom.

Chelsea released her mother's nipple once she was finished eating and whimpered.

"Hang on, angel," Olivia whispered and fixed her top. "Let's get rid of that wind, huh?" she cooed as she grabbed a burp rag and lifted her up to burp her on her shoulder.

"There's my favourite girls," Elliot greeted Olivia and Chelsea as he entered the room. "Morning, beautiful," he said and planted a kiss on her lips before kissing Chelsea's head. "Morning, princess."

"Morning, honey," Olivia replied with a tired smile. "You 'bout ready to leave?"

"Yeah," Elliot answered with a nod. "But I'll be home early today, remember, baby?"

"Yes, of course, so we can get some christmas shopping done," Olivia said.

Chelsea suddenly burped and then cooed happily.

"Oh, yes, you feel better now, don't ya, cutie?" Olivia cooed and kissed her cheek.

"I have to go now, baby," Elliot said and kissed her again.

Olivia returned the kiss and nodded. "Okay, El. See you later."

"See you, beautiful. See you, princess," he said and kissed Chelsea's cheek before walking out.

*************

The day was just going incredibly slowly but it was relaxing and soothing. Just Mommy and Baby. That was until the phone rang.

"Hang on one minute, sweetie," Olivia cooed as she laid Chelsea in her bassinet, in the living room before running for the phone, which was in the kitchen.

"Stabler residence," she answered politely.

"Hello, Mrs Stabler?"

"Yes, this is she."

"Mrs Stabler, this is Monica Jean, from the kindergarten at Queens Elementary..." Olivia sighed. "Zachary is running around the class yelling and throwing blocks at other children. You need to come pick him up."

Olivia groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "I just have to change my baby and then I'll be there. Shouldn't be anymore then twenty minutes."

"Okay. See you soon, Mrs Stabler," the principal said and hung up."

"Oh, what am I going to do with your big brother, Chelsea? This is not like him at all," she sighed as she picked up the infant. She cuddled her to her chest and they headed up the stairs toward the nursery, which was currently painted a pale green from the family, who formerly lived in the house. "Let's change your bottom, then we have to get your brother," she cooed and laid Chelsea down on the changing table.

Olivia quickly changed the infant before grabbing the diaper bag, purse and keys and rushing out to the car, days like these she was glad a police academy friend gave Elliot a lift to and from the academy everyday.

She buckled Chelsea securely into the baby capsule, shut the back door and rushed around to the driver's side.

*************

Walking into the kindergarten class, pushing Chelsea in the stroller, Olivia was appalled at what she saw. It was so out of character for her polite, well behaved son. Yelling and throwing toys at people was just not him. It was like she was looking at someone else's child.

"Zachary Isaiah Stabler!"

Hearing his mother's voice calling him by his full name caused Zachary to freeze, stunned. His mommy was actually angry at him. He'd never heard her angry voice directed at him. Other people but never him.

He bit his bottom lip, dropped the block in his hand and turned to face her.

She was standing beside the stroller with her hands on her hips.

"Zachary," she said again.

Zachary slowly walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"What did you promise me this morning?" she asked, kneeling in front of him, to give him her full eye contact at his height.

Knowing he was in big trouble, Zachary gulped. "I promised to be a good boy."

"And have you been a good boy?"

"No," Zac said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

"Too late, Zachary. Hold on to the stroller, we're going home and you're going straight to your room. No toys or stories. No dessert."

Zachary sobbed and did what he was told as Olivia grabbed his little backpack from his hook.

"Come on. Let's go home," she said and they walked out.

"Mommy, I'm sorry," Zachary cried as his mother opened the back car door.

"I know, son. Get in," she said, picking Chelsea up from the stroller and laid her on the baby seat, buckling her in before closing the door. She then made sure Zac was fastened in safely, kissed his forehead, sadly, and got into the driver's seat to head home.

As soon as they entered the house, Olivia locked the door behind them and turned to Zachary. "Upstairs to your bedroom, young man," she said, pointing upstairs.

"How long, Mommy?" Zac asked, wiping away his tears, which were breaking Olivia's heart.

"Until I come and get you. Think about what you've done," she replied sadly and delicately lifted Chelsea up from her stroller.

In response, Chelsea smiled and giggled at her mommy.

"Hey, bubba. There's that gorgeous smile I love. Ready for some tummy time?" she said and laid the baby down on her mat, on the living room floor on her tummy.

Laying on her stomach, Chelsea giggled in delight as she lifted her head up, momentarily.

"Hey, cutie," Olivia laughed and laid down beside her.

When Chelsea fell asleep moments later, Olivia put her in her crib, in the nursery, and then made her way to Zac's bedroom. Her little man was laying on his bed, crying.

"Oh, baby boy," Olivia cooed and sat down on his bed beside him.

Instantly, Zac crawled into her lap and cuddled into her, resting his head into the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry I'm a bad boy, Mommy."

"Oh, honey," Olivia whispered, rubbing his back. "No, you're not a bad boy. You're a good boy, who's just been misbehaving lately and you're stressing Mommy out, handsome."

With a sniffle, Zachary looked up at Olivia. "I'm really sorry, Mommy," he apologized.

"I know you are, baby," Olivia replied and kissed his forehead. "Want to tell me why you are being a bad boy?"

"So you will talk or play with me," he confessed.

"Zacy, I know I've been busy with Chelsea but I haven't been ignoring you. I talk and play with you too, bud."

"I know," Zac whispered, fiddling with her shirt. "But you're with Chelsea more."

Sighing, Olivia kissed his head. "How about you and I go out on Saturday? Just the two of us."

"Yeah," Zachary smiled, nodding before jumping off her lap at the sound of the front door opening and closing followed by his father's voice.

"Liv? Zac? I'm home!"

"Daddy!" Zachary cried happily and ran down the stairs to greet him.

"Hey, kiddo," Elliot greeted him, picking him up. "You want to go to Grammy's house, while Mommy and Daddy do some shopping?"

"Yeah, you bring me back something?"

"Have you been a good boy?"

Sighing, Zachary shook his head. "No, I was a bad boy at school and Mommy had to pick me up early."

"Well, my boy, no treats," he said and stood him on the floor. "Go get ready. Grammy is on her way to pick you up."

Zachary nodded and ran back up the stairs.

"Hi, baby," he greeted his wife, giving her a hug and planting a kiss on her lips. "What did he do this time?"

"Running around the classroom, yelling and throwing toys at people," she said and sighed, resting her head on his shoulder as he slipped his hands under her shirt and rubbed her bare back. "He confessed to me that he's doing it to get my attention."

"But he can get your attention anytime, you pay lots of attention to him."

Olivia kissed Elliot's neck and exhaled. "He's still getting used to sharing the attention with Chelsea. I'll pump a few bottles of breast milk for her tomorrow because I told Zac that we'll got out on Saturday. Just him and me. Spend some Mommy and Son time together."

"That's a great idea, beautiful. Chelsea and I will be just fine," he said and kissed her nose before reluctantly pulling away from his wife as their son ran down the stairs.

"Let's go to Grammy's," he said, excitedly.


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N: Sorry for the delay been busy. But it's finally here. Please read and review, if you want more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac and Chelsea.**

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Another month went by and it was Christmas morning. Chelsea's first Christmas and their first Christmas as a family of four.

Olivia woke to the sound of her little girl's cries early that morning. She groaned and stretched before getting up, heading toward the nursery.

Using the sunrise's beam coming through the bedroom window, she walked up to the white crib in the left hand corner of the small bedroom.

"Morning. bubba," she cooed, tiredly, as she picked up the three month old. "It's your first Christmas, baby girl, it's so exciting," she said, walking over to the rocking chair on the other side of the baby pink and pale yellow painted nursery. She moved her pajama top and guided Chelsea to her breast to nurse her.

*************

Elliot had nearly fallen back to sleep again, after Chelsea's cries, when he felt Zachary climb up on to the bed, excitedly.

"Daddy, wake up. It's Christmas morning," Zachary whispered, gently shaking his father.

Opening his eyes, trying to wake up, Elliot cleared his throat and smiled at his son. "Morning, kiddo. Merry Christmas," he said, his voice hoarse with sleep.

"Merry Christmas," Zac replied, with the trademark Stabler grin.

"Can I please open my presents now?"

Elliot sat up and patted Zachary's back. "Not yet, son. We have to wait for Mommy and Chelsea. And Mommy is feeding her right now," he explained.

"Oh," Zachary said and nodded sadly. "I'll go see how long Mommy is going to be," he said and jumped off the bed before he headed for the nursery.

He found his mother rocking back and forth in the rocking chair, softly humming. "Mommy?"

"Hey, baby boy," she replied. "Come stand in front of me, so I don't disturb Chelsea."

With a nod, Zac walked over and stood in front of her as requested. "Merry Christmas, Mommy and Chelsea," he said and kissed Chelsea's head as she continued to eat.

"Merry Christmas, lil man," she replied with a smile and reached up to caress his cheek.

"Can I open my presents now?"

"Yes, of course, Zacy," she said and lifted Chelsea up, after she released her nipple. She fixed her top and slowly stood up, patting Chelsea's back as she rested on her burp rag clad shoulder. "Let's go see what Santa got for you, handsome," she said and they headed down the stairs.

Reaching the living room, they found Elliot sitting in his pajamas, sitting in front of the Christmas tree and presents, waiting for them.

Zachary sat down on the carpeted floor on one side of Elliot and Olivia sat on the other, just as Chelsea released a loud burp.

"Oh, there you go, princess," Olivia cooed and kissed her baby soft, olive toned cheek. "Let's open presents, huh?" she said and laid Chelsea down on a pink blanket, on her belly, beside her on the floor.

Chelsea lifted up her head and squealed happily, kicking her chubby legs.

"Chelsea's first Christmas. She gets the first present," Elliot said and grabbed one with her name on it from beneath the tree, passing it to Olivia.

Olivia gently took it and laid down beside the baby. "Look, bubba, what did Santa get you, huh?" she said softly and ripped off the wrapping paper. It was a nice, new pacifier. It was yellow and pink, like her bedroom. Already sterilized and ready for use. "Oh, look, baby girl, a new pacifier." Olivia put it in her mouth and wet it before slipping little girl's mouth.

In response, Chelsea smiled around it and squealed in delight.

"Okay, Zacy. You're next," Elliot said and passed him one of his presents.

Zachary took it and quickly ripped it open. It was something he'd been begging his mommy and daddy for. A new coloring set to go with his coloring/drawing table, that he got for his birthday. "Yay! Thank you so much, Mommy and Daddy," he said and gave them both a kiss before sitting back down.

"You're welcome," both Elliot and Olivia said in unison before Elliot grabbed a small present from under the tree and turned to Olivia.

"You're next, beautiful," he said, passing her the gift and gave her a kiss.

Olivia took it and said, "Thank you," returning the kiss.

"You're welcome, baby. Open it," Elliot coaxed her.

Excited, Olivia's hands slightly shook as she opened it. It was velvet jewelry box. Olivia ran her index finger over it before slowly opening the small box.

Catching sight of its contents, Olivia gasped. "Oh, my goodness. It's so beautiful, El," she whispered in shock and running her finger over the piece of jewelry. It was an antique, gold bangle with six evenly spaced, tiny diamonds in it. "It was my great great grandmother's. On my father's side."

"Really?" Olivia asked, a tear falling from her eye as she delicately removed the item from the box.

"Yes," Elliot replied and took it from her gently. "Her name was Claira," he explained, slowly slipping the bangle on to her right wrist.

"Well, it's gorgeous. Thank you so much," she said, emotionally, and cupped his face in her hands, claiming his lips with hers.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart," he replied as they reluctantly pulled away from one another.

"It's your turn now, Daddy," Zachary screeched happily and grabbed one that he found had 'Daddy' written on. "Here you go," he said, passing it to Elliot.

"Thank you," Elliot said, taking it. He ripped off the wrapping paper as Olivia picked Chelsea up. It was a gift pack of after shave, cologne and shower gel. Olivia's favorite scent on him.

Olivia sobbed and Elliot looked up at her startled.

"Honey? What is it?" he asked, concerned, wiping away her tears.

"I'm sorry, it seems so cheap and daggy compared to this," she said, lifting up her arm with the bangle.

"Oh, baby, I don't care about that," he said and kissed her again. "It's from you, Zacy and Chelsea, and that's all I care about. And I know it's your favorite scent, which makes it even better," he assured her and kissed Chelsea's head and then Zachary's. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, El. Next round?"

Elliot nodded in agreement and grabbed Chelsea's next present.

*************

After the family's little gift exchange, they started to get ready for Christmas lunch at the Stabler family home.

Olivia had just dressed Chelsea in a gorgeous, tiny, green dress with red and white stripped stockings; she looked like an elf; the door bell rang.

"Liv, honey, could you please get that?" Elliot asked from the master bedroom.

"Okay," she replied and picked up Chelsea from the change table. "Who's at the door on Christmas day, huh, bubba?" she asked, walking down the stairs. She unlocked the door and slowly opened it. At the sight of the person on the doorstep almost made Olivia faint. She had to adjust her hold on the baby and blink twice, making sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Hi, angel."

"Mom?" she said in shock.

"Yes, Liv. I got out on parole last week. Had to come see you, Elliot, Zachary and my new grandchild."

"Who is it, baby?" Elliot asked, coming downstairs. He stopped suddenly, startled, to see his mother-in-law at the door. "Serena?"

"Hello, Elliot. Mind if I come in. It's freezing out here."

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry, Mom," Olivia said and let her mother into the townhouse.

"Thank you. So who's my new grandchild?" she asked, eyeing a wide awake Chelsea in Olivia's arms.

"Mom, meet your granddaughter, Chelsea Rhea Stabler," Olivia said and passed the infant over.

"Hi, cutie," Serena greeted her granddaughter for the first time. "Oh, my gosh, you are so cute, Chelsea. You look almost exactly like your mommy did, except your daddy's exquisite blue eyes there. How old is she?"

"She was born September the second at seven thirty-two at night. So nearly four months," Olivia answered proudly.

"Well she's absolutely gorgeous, Liv. Merry Christmas," she said and kissed Olivia's cheek before kissing Chelsea's. "I have presents for you, in my car."

"Really, Mom? You didn't have to do that... I don't mean to be rude but how did you find out where we lived?"

"I looked up in the phone book, only to find that the apartment building has been knocked down, so I looked up Elliot's mother and went to her house and she gave me the address, with the promise that I'd never hurt you or my grandchildren," Serena explained softly. "And I plan to keep it."

Hearing voices, Zachary walked up to the staircase. "Nana?" he asked, confused to see her in the house.

"Hi, Zac," Serena greeted him with a wave, before passing Chelsea back to Olivia.

Zachary ran down the stairs, excitedly, and into the welcoming arms of his grandmother.

"Hey, buddy. I missed you so much," Serena whispered and kissed the crown of his head.

"Hi, Nana, I missed you too," Zachary replied, just as quietly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too. Want to help me grab the presents from my car?"

"Yeah, yeah. Can I, Daddy?" Zac asked his father to make sure that he was allowed too.

"Sure, son. I'll help as well," he said and the three of the, went out the front.

"Wow, this day is just getting weirder... But better isn't it, sweetie?" Olivia said and sat down slowly with a sigh.

Chelsea kicked her chubby legs and cooed before telling her mommy, in her own way, that she wanted a pacifier.

"Okay, baby, hold on," Olivia said and headed into the kitchen to the sterilizer. "Yeah, here's a clean one," she said and picked up a lavender purple one. She put it in her mouth, wetting it and then slid it into Chelsea's mouth before heading back into the living room, just in time to see Elliot, Zachary and Serena re-enter the house with three bags filled with presents. "Oh, my goodness. Mom, what did you do?" she asked in shock.

"I've missed out on a lot of Christmases and birthdays and I plan to make up for it," Serena replied, placing an obviously heavy bags down on the floor beside the couch.

"Where did you get the money?"

"They were savings, honey. I had it in the bank and left it, letting it just grow. I hid the bank card, so I didn't spend it and forgot about it until I got home. I decided to spend it on all of you and as another present for my beautiful daughter," Serena said softly and cupped Olivia's face in her hands, looking into her gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. "I promise to never ever drink again. My grand-babies will never see me stumble, lay in my own vomit, walk into things or slur my words. I promise you with all my heart, angel."

Sniffling as she cried happy tears, Olivia nodded. "Thank you, Mom. I love you and it's the best Christmas present ever."

"It would be even better if I could turn back time and been a better mother, baby. I wish I could," Serena told her daughter sadly and softly.

Olivia nodded and gave her mother a hug, careful of Chelsea. "I know, Mom. But I'm strong and independent, just like you. It will take a lot of work but we will work through this. We will rebuild our relationship," she assured her, determined that they would make it work for Zac and Chelsea's sakes. She wanted her children to really know both of their grandmothers.

"Yes, Livvie, we will," Serena agreed, wiping away some tears of happiness and relieved that Olivia was actually accepting her back into her life as well the lives of her husband and children. "Thank you so much."

"For what?" Olivia asked confused, rubbing a dozing Chelsea's back.

"For allowing me back in your life, angel. As well as the life as the lives of Zac's and Chelsea's," Serena replied, slowly stroking her granddaughter's tiny olive toned cheek.

Olivia sighed and kissed Chelsea's downy dark brown hair. "Just don't break my trust, Mom. It's the last chance that you have. I will not subject my babies to the pain you put me through as a child," she told Serena firmly.

"You have my word, baby," Serena whispered and cleared her throat to change the subject. She turned to Zac and said, "Let's open presents, huh?"

"Yay!" Zachary cheered and ran over to the bags of presents.

Olivia smiled and rubbed Chelsea's back, taking Elliot's hand in her free one as they walked over to the couch.


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac and Chelsea.**

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Christmas went quickly and before the Stablers knew it, it was New Years Eve.

Olivia woke to the happy squeals and coos of her baby girl through the baby monitor. She yawned and took a quick peek at the alarm clock, it was nine past six in the morning. Chelsea had slept for six hours straight for the first time and Olivia felt great to finally have six hours of uninterrupted sleep. She got up and headed into the nursery to find Chelsea happily laying in her crib, just staring up at her mobile.

"Morning, sweetie-pie," Olivia greeted the infant, reaching down to pick her up.

Seeing her mommy and recognizing her scent, Chelsea smiled and reached up to her.

"Someone's happy to see her mommy, huh?" she cooed and kissed her forehead as she laid her down on the change table to change her wet diaper. "You, Zacy and your daddy have the most beautiful smiles, they always brighten up my day, bubba," she whispered, unsnapping Chelsea's pajamas.

Still hating diaper changes, Chelsea began to whimper and kick her chubby little legs angrily.

"Chelsea, honey, you don't want a saggy wet diaper all day until bath time," Olivia cooed as she went through the process of changing the baby's diaper. Once changed, Olivia dressed Chelsea in a baby pink, long sleeved dress with pink and white stripped stockings before picking her up and carrying her to the rocking chair to nurse.

*************

Opening his eyes, Zachary yawned and stretched as he slowly woke up for the new day. He sat up and turned before his little feet touched the small sky blue colored square shaped mat on the cream colored carpet flooring of his sky blue painted bedroom with airplane borders around on the center of the walls.

He got up and made his bed, like he did every morning and padded out of his bedroom.

"Morning, kiddo."

Zac looked up to see his father walk half asleep out of the bathroom.

"Morning, Daddy," Zachary replied as Elliot picked him up and perched him on his hip.

"How did you sleep, little man?" Elliot asked and kissed his forehead.

"Good thanks, Daddy. You?"

"Very good, thank you. Did you get up during the night to go to the bathroom?" Elliot asked as they headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

Zachary nodded. "Yes, did I wake you or Mommy?"

"No, Mommy was sound asleep but I wasn't completely asleep, so I heard you but it's fine, bud," Elliot said and sat Zac at the breakfast table. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal with cut up banana, please," Zachary asked politely, kicking his legs back and forth happily.

"Oatmeal, it is, Zacy-boy," Elliot replied and started to go around the kitchen, collecting the needed items.

*************

Once Chelsea had finished eating and had been burped, Olivia carried her downstairs and laid her in her playpen in the corner, so she could play with play-gym. She then headed into the kitchen to her men.

"Morning, guys."

"Morning, Mommy."

"Morning, beautiful," Elliot greeted her and handed her a bowl of oatmeal with a kiss on the lips.

"Thanks, honey," she said and sat at the table beside Zachary.

Elliot sat down opposite Olivia and asked, "So what's the plan for the day?"

"Well, the idea was a family picnic lunch and playground for Zacy."

"Yay!" Zachary cheered, interrupting his mother.

"Don't speak your mouth full, Zac," Olivia gently scolded, reminding him about his manners.

Zac swallowed his mouthful of oatmeal. "Playground," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, bud. Playground... And tonight," she said and turned to Elliot with a flirtatious smirk. "Zacy and Chelsea are going to Grammy's house, so Mommy and Daddy can have some alone time," she finished over Elliot's hand in hers.

Elliot grinned back flirtatiously and caressed the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb. "Yes Mommy and Daddy need some alone time."

"Why?" Zachary asked curiously with a slight tilt of his head.

Olivia laughed and shook her head. "Cause it's what Mommies and Daddies do, baby."

"Oh, but why do Mommies and Daddies do it?" he asked, wanting more information.

"So Mommies and Daddies can talk... And stuff alone," Olivia replied and ruffled Zachary's hair.

"Oh, I see," Zachary said and nodded before eating his last spoonful of oatmeal. "What me and Chelsea going to do at Grammy's?"

"Well, Grammy said something about a party and fireworks with some family friends and some of your kindergarten friends, baby," she explained.

Zachary grinned, liking the sound of that. He was so excited. "Yeah, it will be fun," he said, sure of it.

"Yes, I'm sure it will be, baby boy," Olivia agreed. "After breakfast, can you try dress yourself and sort out what you want to take to Grammy's tonight, so it's all sorted. I'll check it later."

Nodding, Zachary stole a spoonful of oatmeal from his mother's bowl.

*************

Walking through the park, Zac was holding his father's hand as Olivia pushed the stroller, with a cooing Chelsea kicking at her dangling toys.

They were looking for a peaceful, green area for their picnic. Somewhere about halfway through the park, they found that area.

"This looks like a nice place, El," Olivia said, pointing.

"Perfect," Elliot agreed. "Let's go."

They set up the blanket and Elliot set the basket full of food.

"Sit down, Zacy," Elliot said as he did himself and opened the basket.

Olivia delicately picked Chelsea up out of the stroller as to not upset her, since she'd been content on playing. "Come on, baby. Time for lunch, for all of us," she said and grabbed the purple blanket with her name embroided in pink on it," out of the stroller, so she could discreetly nurse her, while she ate lunch herself.

"What sandwich would you like, Zac?"

"The peanut butter and jelly one please, Daddy," he replied and took the offered sandwich. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Which would you like, honey?" Elliot asked, once Olivia got Chelsea situated and eating discreetly under the blanket.

"The salad one please, El," she replied and took the sandwich with her free hand. "Thanks."

"This is nice, isn't it?" Elliot said in between bites of his own sandwich, listening to the sound of Chelsea suckling, birds chirping and kids playing on the playground in the distance.

"Yes, it is," Olivia nodded in agreement and took another bite of her lunch. "We should do this more often. What do you say, Zacy-boy?"

Zachary nodded, happily. "Yeah, it's nice, Mommy."

Olivia smiled and put down the last quarter of her sandwich when Chelsea stopped eating. "Can you hold Chelsea for a second while I fix my top?" she asked.

"Sure, baby," Elliot replied and gently took Chelsea as Olivia held up the blanket as to not flash any potential person who may walk by.

"Got her. Come here, princess," he cooed and sat her on his lap. Holding her up, he began to burp her.

Fixing her top, Olivia watched Zachary look around, trying to find another child to play with, he was starting to get bored. "You okay, Zacy?"

"I go play now, Mommy?" he asked.

"Not yet, kiddo, let your lunch go down first then we'll make our way down to the playground," she said and licked her thumb. She then leaned over and wiped Zac's cheek, to clean off the peanut butter. "Mom," he whined, pulling away embarrassed.

"Zac, honey, you've never been embarrassed like that before," she said, catching on to what he felt.

"I'm a big boy now," he insisted with his little arms folded on his chest.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Olivia said and sighed.

Chelsea burped and cooed happily.

"Loud enough there, Chelsea?" Elliot asked laughed and lifted the baby up. He turned her around and laid her down on the blanket.

"Hey there, cutie," he cooed and lifted her tiny dress up, blowing a raspberry on her chubby belly.

Chelsea laughed in delight and kicked her legs.

"You like that, huh?" he said and did it again, causing Chelsea to squeal in excitement and kick her legs again. Hearing Olivia sigh, he looked up at her. "What's up, beautiful?"

"I'm just starting to feel a little sick," she told him softly.

"You want to head home?" he asked concerned.

Shaking her head, Olivia replied, "No, I'll be okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Well tell me if you want to go home," he said and picked Chelsea up.

"Come on, Zac. Let's head to the playground."

As they got closer, Olivia began to feel sicker and sicker. She was beginning to feel dizzy. She tried to hide it from Elliot though for Zac's sake. Zachary was so excited about the playground and she didn't want to ruin for him.

Elliot pushed the stroller up to a bench and before telling Zachary he could go play, he turned to check on Olivia, only to find her on the ground. It appeared that she had collapsed. "Oh, God! Liv!" he cried, dropping down beside her. "Wake up. Olivia wake up," he said, tapping her cheek.

Olivia groaned and opened her eyes. "What happened?"

"You collapsed," he replied, brushing back her hair.

"Oh," she moaned, rubbing her temple. "Help me up please."

Helping up his wife, he said, "I'm going to take you to the hospital."

"No, I'm fine," Olivia insisted and grabbed the handle of the stroller. "Come on, Zac!"

Zac just shook his head as he climbed on to the playground.

Groaning, Olivia rubbed her temple. "Zachary Isaiah Stabler, do as you are told! We are going home!" she called again, this time firmer then the first. When he didn't come back, she tried one last time.

"Zachary Isaiah! One... Two.."

Not wanting to chance what would happen if his mother got to three, Zac climbed down and ran up to her.

"Lucky, young man," she said and took his hand gently, placing it on to the side of the stroller. "Hold on and don't let go."

"Yes, Mommy," Zac pouted.

"Liv, honey, you fainted, we should go to the hospital," he said, guiding his family out of the park, his hand on the small of Olivia's back.

"El, I'm fine," Olivia insisted again, wanting him to drop it.

"Liv, you aren't," he disagreed.

"Elliot, please just drop it. I'm fine," she said irritated.

Elliot sighed and refused to talk the rest of the way home. His wife was so incredibly stubborn and he wished she wasn't so.

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They walked into the house and Elliot lifted Chelsea up out of the stroller, just as she started to protest her wet diaper.

"Come on, princess. Let's change you, huh?" he said as he carried her up the stairs.

"Mommy?" Zac asked, following his mother to the couch.

Olivia dropped on to the couch and sighed. "Yes, handsome?" she asked, reaching out to him.

"Why couldn't I play on the playground?" he asked sadly, walking into her embrace.

Giving him a hug and kiss, Olivia said, "Cause Mommy isn't feeling very well. I'm sorry, baby."

"It's okay, Mommy. Feel better real soon," he replied and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Olivia returned the kiss and rubbed his back. "Thank you, Zacy. Want to lay down with me and watch some television?"

"Yes, please," Zachary replied enthusiastically.

"Well pick out a video, while I get a glass of water," Olivia said, slowly standing up and stroking back his soft brown hair.

"Okay, Mommy," he said and went to find one.

Olivia smiled, watching her little man excitedly picking something to watch and thought about how when Chelsea was older, at least in elementary school, she wanted at least one more child. At least one more creation, which was part her and part Elliot because the two they had already had were beautiful, intelligent and amazing.


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, sorry for the delay, lost my inspiration to write for awhile but I finally finished the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac, Chelsea, Angie and Emily.**

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Once Chelsea was changed, Elliot took her downstairs. He placed Chelsea in her bouncer to have some fun, while he went around and got the house ready for he and Olivia to enjoy their night alone. He walked past the front of the front of the couch to find Olivia and Zac having a nap.

Zachary was cuddled into Olivia's side with his little head just above her breast and Olivia looked protective with her arms wrapped around her little man. Mother and son both looked content.

While they took a snooze on the couch, Elliot decided that he would set up the house romantically and get the kids' overnight bags ready to take to Angie's for the things they didn't have there, like pumped breast milk for Chelsea.

It took just over an hour to set up the house and pack for the kids and Angie would be arriving at any moment to pick them up.

Elliot leaned over the couch and stroked back his son's soft, short brown hair to wake him up, hopefully without waking Olivia up. "Wake up, Zacy," he whispered.

Zachary groaned softly and his eyes fluttered open. "Daddy?"

"Yes, buddy, it's Daddy. Grammy will be here any minute to pick you and Chelsea up."

"Okay," Zachary said, gently getting up before heading to the downstairs bathroom.

"Come on, princess," Elliot cooed as he picked Chelsea up, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Time to go in your capsule, Grammy is on her way to pick you up." He laid her in the capsule and buckled her in just as he heard a key being turned in the front door. Angie had finally arrived.

"Grammy!" Zachary called, barreling down the hall to her.

"Hey, kiddo," Angie greeted him and leaned over to give him a hug. earlier."You and Chelsea ready to come to my place?"

Zachary nodded. "Yep."

"Hi Mom," Elliot greeted his mother, passing her Chelsea in the carrier and bag. "This is stuff for both of them."

"Okay, thanks. Where's Liv?"

"Asleep," he replied, pointing to the couch. "She was feeling a little unwell earlier."

Angie nodded in understanding and gave her son a kiss. "Say bye to Daddy's Zacy."

"Bye, Daddy. See you and Mommy tomorrow."

"You be a good boy for Grammy, son. Love you, see you tomorrow," Elliot replied and kissed Zac's head. "Bye, Mom," he said and watched them go.

"El?" Olivia asked, slowly waking up as she heard him shut the door.

"Hey beautiful," he said, leaning over the couch to plant a tender kiss on her lips.

"Hey," Olivia replied, her voice hoarse with sleep.

"How was your nap?" he asked, helping her to sit up.

"It was good, just what I needed. Angie already pick Zachary and Chelsea up?"

"Yeah, you just missed them, baby. You feeling better?" he asked, putting his hand on her forehead to see if she had a fever.

Olivia gently pushed his hand off and smiled a little at her husband's concern before getting up off the couch. "I'm fine, honey, really. I feel much better," she tried to reassure him, only to stumble.

Due to his quick reflexes, Elliot managed to catch her before she fell to the carpeted floor of the living room. "Whoa, sweetie, I got you. You okay? When was the last time you ate?"

"At lunch, remember?" she replied, leaning on Elliot as he guided her into the kitchen.

"Yeah and you didn't finish your sandwich. You haven't been eating much lately, Liv, that's probably why you fainted," he told her and gently guided her down to a chair at the kitchen table. "I'm going to make you something to eat. What would you like?"

Olivia sighed and rubbed a tired hand down her face. "What about dinner, El? Thought we were going to have a nice, romantic dinner?"

"We are," he assured her, stroking back her hair. "I'm going to make you something little now and then you can have a lay down while I cook dinner for us."

Olivia nodded and smiled up at Elliot. "Thanks. A salad roll would be nice."

"Salad roll it is," he said and placed a kiss on her lips before getting to work on her roll.

*************

"Aunt Emily!" Zachary cried happily, entering the house, seeing his aunt standing in the foyer ready to greet him and Chelsea.

"Hey kiddo," she said and kissed his head. "Let me just say hi to Chelsea, then we can go do something."

"Popcorn and a movie," he said with his trademark grin.

"Sure, Zacy." She ruffled her nephew's hair and then gently picked up her niece. "Hi Chelsea. You're looking more and more like your Mommy everyday. You're so beautiful," she whispered and gave the baby girl a hug and a kiss. "Oops, someone has a wet bottom."

"Come here, honey." Angie took her granddaughter back and kissed her cheek, heading up the stairs to change her soaked diaper before Chelsea began to protest it.

"Aunt Emily, I want to watch this one," Zachary said, holding up a tape that he'd picked from the collection in the cupboard in the living room.

"Alright, little man, let's put it in and then I'll make us some popcorn," Emily suggested and took her nephew into the kitchen.

*************

Once Olivia had eaten her nicely made salad roll, Elliot took her plate and put it into the dishwasher to be washed.

"Okay, time for you to have a lay down, 'Livia," Elliot said and planted a kiss on the lips.

Olivia groaned and got up out of the wooden chair. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

"It's for your own good, babe, you're exhausted. You're working yourself way too hard and you're going to make yourself sicker," he told her gently but firmly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm going," she said and tiredly headed upstairs to bed.

Unable to sleep despite how exhausted she was, Olivia just laid in bed looking up at the painted white ceiling above her. She sighed and rolled on to her side, curling up under the covers, snuggling her head further into the plum purple satin pillowcase covering the thick, therapeutic pillow.

"What are you still doing awake, Liv?" Elliot asked, walking in sometime later and sitting down on the bed beside her. "You were supposed to get some much needed sleep," he said, stroking back her hair off her face.

"I can't sleep," Olivia whispered in response, enjoying the tender caresses provided by her loving man. "Hmm, don't stop," she murmured, letting her eyes droop shut.

"Why can't you sleep?" he asked concerned.

"I don't know. I've just had some insomnia the last few nights," she explained, not opening her eyes.

"Oh, why didn't you say anything, beautiful?"

"I didn't want you to worry, El," she confessed.

With a sigh, Elliot planted a tender kiss on her cheek. "I'm your husband, I'm supposed to worry about you and the kids, it's my job."

Olivia sighed. "I know but I didn't want to disturb your sleep as well."

"Liv, honey, you're much more important to me then some missed sleep," he told her. "Is this helping you to relax enough to sleep?" he asked about the caressing he was providing. He was rubbing her temples and around her eyes.

"Hmm," Olivia moaned contently in response. "Could you also please rub my back?" she asked. "It's a little sore."

Elliot slipped his free hand up beneath her shirt and started to rub the bare, warm skin of her back. "That better?"

"Oh, yeah," she mumbled sleepily. "Don't stop."

As requested, Elliot continued until he knew that she was in a deep sleep, and so, as she got some much needed and deserved rest, he was going to make a start on their romantic dinner, they would just be eating it a little later then planned but it didn't matter.

Elliot was going to cook Olivia's favorite meal and enjoy some wine with it, since Olivia didn't have to worry about breastfeeding Chelsea for the rest of the night.

Walking through to the kitchen, he put the radio on quietly does some background noise but not loud enough to wake Olivia upstairs.

*************

"Grammy?" Zac asked as he walked out on to the back porch after the movie had finished and Emily had gone out with her boyfriend.

"Yes, kiddo?" she answered, lifting up her reading glasses. "What's wrong?"

"Chelsea is crying. I think she's hungry, Grammy," he informed her.

Angie put her book down and got up straight away. "Could you please keep her company while I heat up a bottle for her?"

Zachary nodded. "Okay," he replied and rushed back inside the house, upstairs to the newly pink painted nursery. "It's okay, sissy. Grammy is getting you a bottle of Mommy's milk," he assured his baby sister, slipping his arm through the crib bars to stroke back her soft sandy brown hair, which was lightening to blonde.

In response, Chelsea slowly settled down and smiled at her older brother.

"Yeah, see, Chelsea, it's okay. I'm here with you."  
"Okay, thank you, Zacy. You want to feed her?" she asked him, picking Chelsea up.

"Yes please, Grammy," Zac replied enthusiastically.

"Okay, take a seat on the rocking chair."

Zachary climbed up into the rocking chair and opened his arms for his sister.

"You remember how Mommy taught you to feed her?" Angie asked, knowing that Olivia had let him feed Chelsea a few times when she'd fed her from a bottle.

"Yep," Zac replied as Chelsea was laid in his arms.

"Okay, here you go," Angie said and passed him the bottle of breast milk before watching her grandson feed his baby sister happily. "Good job, Zacy-boy, you're doing very well," she praised him.

"Yep, I'm a big boy," Zac said proudly and kissed Chelsea's forehead as she continued to eat hungrily.

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Once the house was all set up romantically and dinner was ready, Elliot headed upstairs to wake Olivia up. He found her curled up on his side of the bed, snuggling with his pillow. His scent helping her to sleep.

"Liv, baby, time to get up," he whispered, caressing her cheek.

Olivia groaned in protest at being woken up but upon opening her eyes and seeing her husband, she smiled. "Hey, dinner ready?"

"Yep, I did your favorite, beautiful," he told her and pecked her on the lips. "Up you get. We can cuddle up in bed together later....naked," he grinned.

"Sounds good to me," Olivia agreed with a flirtatious wink as she got up off the bed.

Their hands brushed, so they automatically took a hold of the other's hand as they headed downstairs together toward the kitchen.

"Wow, this so beautiful, El," Olivia gasped, catching sight of the romantic set kitchen. "Did you do this all by yourself?"

"I certainly did. Just for my beautiful, amazing wife," he said and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Take a seat, gorgeous." He pulled out a seat and waited for her to sit down before he pushed her up to the table. Elliot then lit up the candles in the center of the table and sat down opposite Olivia, after turning off the overhead light.

"Thanks, El, this is so nice. Don't get me wrong I love the kids with all my heart but this is nice. Just the two of us, it's so relaxing and peaceful but by morning I'll want my babies back," she said.

Elliot leaned over and placed his hand over Olivia's on the table. "I know, baby, I totally agree. We will have them back in the morning. Mom's bringing them home at nine," he assured her with a smile.

"Sounds great," Olivia said, returning the smile. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."

Laughing, Elliot nodded. "Sure, Liv."

They said a prayer together and began to eat the lovely meal that Elliot had cooked for them. It was a peaceful and romantic night.


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N: Sorry to my lovely reviewers. I've been really slack lately. But I'll try to get my inspiration back and post more again. I have a new story to be posted to but I've been too slack to type it up right now. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Angie, Zac and Chelsea.**

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"This was so yummy, El, thank you," Olivia said, placing her knife and fork down on the empty plate.

Elliot got up and said, "You're very welcome, beautiful." He blew out the candles and helped her up. "I'll clean this up later. Come with me, sexy. We're going to have some Mommy and Daddy time," he said and guided her upstairs to the master bedroom.

"Let me just go to the bathroom first." Olivia opened her underwear drawer and grabbed something out before heading into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

As he waited, Elliot stripped down to his boxer shorts and sat down on the bed.

The bathroom door opened a few minutes later and Olivia walked out.

"El," she purred seductively.

Elliot turned to her and his voice dropped. She was drop dead sexy.

She was wearing a pink and black satin and lace nightgown, which accented her sexy post baby curves and perfect, perky breasts.

"Wow, baby, you're absolutely sexy. Come here," Elliot said from the bed.

With a grin, Olivia climbed on the bed and Elliot, straddling him, her bare wet core on his forming erection, confided to his boxers. "You're sexy in your manly devil boxers," she said and grind on him.

Elliot groaned and grabbed her waist to hold her still. "Whoa, Liv, don't do that, sweetie, I'll lost it before we even get started."

"Well let's do something about that, huh?" Olivia winked and slipped her hand through the slit of his boxer shorts, grabbing a hold of his rock hard erect penis.

In response, Elliot groaned and subconsciously thrust in her hand.

Olivia stroked him up and down before Elliot grabbed her hand to stop her. "What's wrong, El?" she asked concerned.

"Let's get you ready, baby," he replied and gently flipped them over. He then leaned down and began to suck on the side of her neck as he manipulating her left breast through her nightgown with his right hand.

Moaning, Olivia arched into him, pushing her breast further into his hand as she clenched the bed sheets tightly in her fists. "Oh, God, El, don't stop. Don't ever stop," she murmured breathlessly as her nightgown rode up.

"Wasn't planning on it," Elliot groaned in her ear before beginning to kiss a trail down the valley of breasts, her stomach and slipped his tongue into Olivia's belly button, earning a deep, pleasurable moan from Olivia. He then continued his kissing trail down her body, skipping her core, where she wanted him most.

"El," she whined, writhing beneath him.

"Tell me what you want, baby," he told her in between kisses.

Olivia panted and arched into him. "Your tongue inside me damn it!"

Laughing, Elliot moved to the welcoming valley between her legs and inserted his tongue without warning.

"Whoa!" Olivia jumped startled but then moaned in pleasure. "More!" she cried out and wrapped her legs around his head.

Elliot gently pried them apart from behind his head and said, "Please don't, baby, I can't concentrate like that."

"Sorry," Olivia panted, clutching the sheets tightly in her fists.

"It's okay," Elliot replied and went back to what he was doing.

"Oh, God, El!"

"Let go for me, baby."

It didn't take long for Olivia to climax, hard.

Elliot drank all what his wife had to offer and lined his member at her wet, swollen entrance. "Ready?" he whispered in her ear.

"What about you?" she asked, thinking it was unfair. Her one orgasm to his none.

"It's about you tonight, my beautiful, amazing wife. Ready?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes, make love to me, my sexy beast of a husband."

"Guide me in, Liv."

Not losing contact with his beautiful, cerulean blue eyes, Olivia reached down, took a hold of his shaft and guided him in. She exhaled a deep breath as her inner walls stretched around him.

"You okay?" he asked concerned, resting her forehead against hers.

"Yes, please move, El," she whispered breathlessly, wrapping her legs around his waist and pushing him deeper into her.

Elliot groaned as he was completely inside of her to the hilt. He kissed her on the lips as he slowly and passionately thrust in and out of her.

"Make as much noise as you like, baby, we're alone remember?" he reminded her and kissed her on the nose this time.

Olivia screamed in pleasure and rolled them over to ride them. She increased the speed and took him in deeply each and every thrust. "Oh, God! This is fucking great!" she screamed, panting.

"It is," Elliot replied, just as breathless. "Come here, baby." He wrapped his arms around her back and gently brought her down to him. "Hey."

Olivia grinned. Her face glistening with a sheen of sweat. "Hey," she replied, continuing to ride him at a steady pace. "I love you."

"I love you too," Elliot replied and kissed her on the lips. "Let go, babe," he told her breathlessly, feeling her clench his member.

"Not until you do," she whispered, clenching his member tighter.

Elliot gasped and continued to ram in and out of her, against the resistance.

"Fuck, Liv!" He reached down and started to tease her clit.

Olivia threw her head back with a scream, in ecstasy, as she came, hard and loudly, sending Elliot over the edge with her. "Wow, that was incredible," she panted, falling on his chest, in exhaustion, him still inside her.

"Yes, it was, beautiful," he agreed and kissed her wet, sweaty hair.

Just as they went to get a short nap between love making sessions, the phone rang. Both Olivia and Elliot groaned and Elliot answered.

"Stabler residence."

"Sorry disturb you and Liv, El," Angie said, over the line. "But baby Chelsea won't settle down. She might just want her mommy."

Elliot sighed. "Okay, Mom, thanks for calling. Olivia and I will be there as soon as we can," he assured her and hung up.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, looking into his eyes.

"Mom can't calm Chelsea down. She thinks the baby just wants her mommy," he informed her, getting up.

Olivia got up as well and put on her pajamas and some slippers. "Let's go."

*************

As they approached the front door of the Stabler family home, the sound of Chelsea's cries hit their ears.

"Someone wants her mommy. That's her mommy cry," Elliot said, giving Olivia's hand a gentle squeeze before unlocking the door and walking in.

"Mom, we're here!" he called out softly.

"Oh, thank goodness," Angie replied and rushed out to them from the living room with a screaming Chelsea in her arms.

"That's her 'I want my Mommy' cry," Olivia informed her and reached out for her baby girl. "Come here, princess. Come to Mommy."

Angie passed Chelsea to Olivia and immediately Chelsea began to settle down in her mother's embrace.

"That's it, bubba, Mommy's got you," she murmured and kissed her forehead as she gently rocked her. "Where's Zacy?"

"He's still in bed asleep thankfully. Would you like me to get him?"

Elliot shook his head. "No, we'll both just give him a kiss goodnight. He can stay," he said and went upstairs.

When he returned, he took Chelsea and Olivia went upstairs to give Zac a kiss as he slept contently.

"Okay, ready to go?" Elliot asked, seeing Olivia returning and passed Chelsea back to her.

"Yeah. Let's got home, bubba. Oh, Angie, did she eat?"

Angie shook her head. "No, she refused the bottle, Liv. I'm sorry," she informed her, passing Elliot the diaper bag.

"That's okay, Angie. I'll just nurse her when we get home. Thank you."

"Not a problem. You still want Zac home at nine?" Angie asked, walking them to the car.

"No, you can take him out, Mom. He loves to spend time with you," Elliot replied.

Olivia laid Chelsea in her car seat and buckled her in before shutting the door, giving Angie a kiss on the cheek and climbing into the passenger seat as Elliot got in the driver's seat.

"Bye, Mom. See you tomorrow," Elliot said, backing out of the driveway then driving off.

Olivia sighed and leaned her head back on the headrest.

"What is it, baby?" Elliot asked, giving her pajama pant clad thigh a gentle squeeze, not taking his eyes off the road ahead as he drove along.

"There goes our night. Our baby girl is too attached to me to spend even one night with her Grammy," she whispered and used the vanity mirror to look back at her daughter sleeping comfortably in her car seat.

"It's okay, beautiful. We got to make love and eat a peaceful, romantic dinner. We can try it again soon. She might be able to handle it a little better when she's a bit older," he tried to assure her.

Olivia nodded in agreement but was unsure. "Yeah, maybe. She's four months old though, El, I thought she'd be able to handle it by now."

"So did I, Liv, but you have to admit that Chelsea has always been a major Mommy's girl," he said, laughing softly, turning on to their street.

Sighing, Olivia nodded. "Yeah, she is," she smiled as Elliot pulled up in their driveway.

Elliot turned off the engine, took the key out of the ignition as Olivia got out and got the baby out of her car seat.

"I'm just going to go up to the nursery and nurse Chelsea," she said as they headed inside the house.

Elliot nodded and kissed her cheek. "Okay, baby. While you do that, I will clean up down here from dinner."

"Okay," Olivia said and yawned as she took Chelsea upstairs to the nursery. "Let's get some milk in your tiny, empty belly, huh?" she murmured, sitting down in the rocking chair. She moved her t-shirt and bra and guided Chelsea to her breast, who latched on immediately and began to suckle hungrily. "That's it, baby girl, fill your belly," she whispered and slowly started to rock back and forth.

Just as Chelsea had finished and burped, Elliot came in to the room. "Hey girls."

"Hey El," Olivia replied with a tired smile. "Could you please change Chelsea and put her to bed? I'm really tired," she asked and kissed Chelsea's forehead.

"Sure, Liv," he said and took the infant. "Come on, princess."

Olivia then got up and went to bed. Their night was over.


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I've been either sick or busy. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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March came and life was going great for the Stabler family. Zachary was enjoying Kindergarten and Chelsea was now six months old and learning something new each and every day, exciting her parents.

Olivia woke in the arms of her loving husband, her head on his shoulder. She sighed and kissed his neck.

In response, Elliot moaned. "Morning baby," he croaked sleepily, as he started to rub her back.

"Morning my sexy husband," she whispered and straddled him under the covers. "You have a good sleep?" she asked and leaned down to kiss him on the lips passionately.

"I would love to make love to you, beautiful, but the kids will be awake at any moment," he replied in between kisses.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Zac giggled, running into the room, right on cue.

Olivia groaned and rolled off of Elliot. "Morning baby boy. You sleep well?"

Zachary nodded and climbed up on to the bed. "Morning Mommy and Daddy. I slept good. How 'bout you?" he asked, climbing over Olivia, so he could lay down in between his mommy and daddy.

"Yeah, honey, we slept good," Olivia replied and kissed his cheek.

Suddenly Chelsea could be heard making sounds through the baby monitor.

"Someone wants to start her day too," Olivia said with a smile and got up out of bed. She headed into the nursery and turned off the night-light on the way up to the crib. "Morning, bubba. How did you sleep?" she asked, picking her up.

Chelsea snuggled into Olivia and cooed happily to her, playing with her hair.

"Let's get breakfast, huh, sweetie?" Olivia cooed, rubbing her little back.

In response, Chelsea continued to play with her mommy's hair.

"Hey Zacy," Olivia said as she saw him walk out the master bedroom with a smile.

"Hi Mommy. Breakfast time?" he asked, taking his mommy's free hand.

"Yes, breakfast time, kiddo," she said as they headed down the stairs toward the kitchen. "Climb up into your booster seat, Zacy-boy," Olivia said as she sat Chelsea in her highchair.

"Okay, Mommy," Zachary replied and climbed up into his booster seat.

"Good boy. What would you like for breakfast?" she asked as she slowly pushed him up to the table.

"We have toast and peanut butter please, Mommy?" he asked, tapping the top of the breakfast table with his fingers, making a soft tune.

Starting to grab the necessary items, Olivia said, "Sure, little man. Toast with peanut butter on, it is."

Elliot emerged from the bedroom, showered and dressed for the day. He only had time for a quick breakfast before his ride to the police academy would arrive. He walked into the kitchen to find his family happily eating away.

"Morning kids," he greeted Zachary and Chelsea and gave them each a kiss on the head as he walked past them to his seat. "Morning baby," he said and kissed Olivia on the lips before sitting down. "This looks good."

"Oh please," Olivia scoffed playfully. "It's just toast with peanut butter." She laughed.

"Still good," Elliot told her. his mouth full of toast as he talked, so he sounded muffled.

"Zacy, don't copy Daddy."

"Huh?" Zachary asked, looking up at his mother from his toast. "What Daddy doing?"

"Daddy was talking with his mouth full. Don't do it, baby. It's yucky," Olivia told their son as she fed their daughter baby cereal.

Zachary nodded and broke a piece off his toast. "Okay, Mommy. I won't."

A car honked from outside and Elliot got up in an instant.

"Fin's here, I gotta go." He gave them each a kiss goodbye and left.

*************

Elliot got in the car, put on his seatbelt and said, "Hey Fin. How are you this morning?"

"Good, man. How are ya?" he replied and pulled away from the curb.

"Yeah I'm good."

"Chelsea over the Chicken Pox yet?" he asked. He loved that little girl like a daughter.

Elliot nodded. "Yeah she's good. The spots scabbed over on the weekend," he answered. "She's one happy baby girl again."

"Good to hear," Fin said, turning on to another street. "How are Olivia and Zac doing?"

"Good, good. Olivia's excited to finally start in the academy on September and Zac's enjoying Kindergarten."

"That's great," Fin said, nodding.

Elliot smiled, proud of his family. "Yeah it is."

*************

"Zac, you ready to go, kiddo?" Olivia asked, sitting Chelsea in her stroller and buckled her in.

"Yes Mommy," Zachary replied and strolled down the stairs with his little backpack on his back. Happy it was another day of kindergarten.

Just as Olivia grabbed a hold of the stroller handles, the phone rang. "Hang on, kiddo. Mommy needs to answer the phone."

"Okay, Mommy," Zac replied and watched Olivia run toward the phone.

"Stabler residence," Olivia answered the call. "Yes, this is Mrs Olivia Stabler, daughter of Serena Benson... What? Oh, my goodness. Really? How long has she got left? You can't be serious. Did she know that this could possibly happen to her?" she asked the person on the phone in a panic. "Oh okay. Yes I'll be there. I'll try get in contact with my husband first and I'll be there," she told the person and hung up.

"Mommy, you okay?" Zac asked concerned, seeing his mother's silent tears.

With a sniffle, Olivia picked up her son and cuddled him as he held on to her tightly and kissed her cheek. "Nana is in hospital, baby," she explained and kissed his cheek.

Zachary tilted his head a little. "Why? Is Nana okay?"

Rubbing his back, it broke Olivia's heart to have to shake her head. "No, Zacy-boy, I'm sorry, she's very sick. We have to get in contact with Daddy and head straight to the hospital," she informed him and stood him on the floor.

"Will Nana be alright, Mommy?"

Picking up the phone and dialing the phone number for the police academy to get in contact with Elliot, Olivia replied, "I don't know, baby. Can you please keep Chelsea company?"

Zachary nodded and went over to Chelsea. "Hey Chelsea. Nana is sick, so we haveta go and see her, 'kay? But she'll be okay, I promise you," he whispered to her and stroked back her silky blonde hair.

In response, Chelsea smiled and cooed at him. She loved her big brother.

"Love you, Chelsea," he said and leaned into the stroller to kiss her forehead.

Chelsea blew a raspberry and kicked her chubby legs happily.

"Mommy, Chelsea blew a raspberry and dribbled everywhere," he told Olivia, seeing her return.

"It's okay, buddy," she said and leaned over to wipe Chelsea's mouth. "That's what her bib is for. Come on, we're meeting up with Daddy down at the hospital, baby," she said and picked Chelsea up out of her stroller.

"What about Kindergarten, Mommy?"

"Sorry, baby, not today," she informed him and locked the front door behind them.

"Okay," he said sadly.

*************

Olivia was getting information on her mother's deteriorating condition from Serena's primary physician. Doctor Beth Marley.

"So is this heart condition hereditary?" she asked, more concerned about the health of her children then her own.

With a sigh, the doctor nodded. "I"m afraid that it is hereditary, Mrs Stabler. Would you like more information on the condition?"

"Yes please."

"Sure, I'll go get some for you. You can see your mother while you wait."  
"Thank you," Olivia said and shook her hand, turning slightly just in time to see Elliot come running up the corridor to her.

"Liv!" he called and wrapped his arms around her when he reached her.

"El," she whispered into his chest.

"Is your mom okay?" he asked, rubbing her back and kissed her head.

Olivia shook her head. "She's got a heart condition, which she has been ignoring and now she has just days left to live," she told him and started to sob into his chest.

"Oh, sweetie," he sympathized as he comforted her. "I'm here for you. We're in this together," he assured her and kissed her head again.

Sniffling, Olivia nodded. "Okay," she whispered and kissed him on the lips. "You coming in the room with me?"

"If you want me to be, baby," he said and took a hold of the stroller handles.

"Yes please, El," she replied softly and turned to walk into her mother's hospital room.

Elliot followed closely behind with Zac and Chelsea for support. He knew how much Olivia was hurting, especially since her and her mother's relationship was still developing but it was already better then it had ever been, only for Serena to be now dying.

"Mom?" Olivia whispered as she sat down beside the bed and took a hold of one of Serena's hands in hers.

Serena was hooked up to numerous monitors and IVs. "Hi sweet," Serena greeted her daughter. Her voice weak and croaky. "It will be okay, Livvy. You'll move on with Elliot and the kids and continue to live a very happy life," she said and kissed the back of Olivia's hand. "And you, Elliot, Zac and Chelsea will be very well financially supported."

"What?" Olivia asked confused, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I'm leaving you close to three million dollars in my will," she informed Olivia.

"What? Where is all this money coming from, Mom?"

"My life insurance, saved money and everything in my apartment, the apartment itself and money from my parents, which has been in an account, just building higher and higher," Serena explained. "So you, Elliot and my grand babies are going to be well looked after, okay?"

Sniffling, Olivia kissed Serena's forehead. "Thank you, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl."

The door to the room opened and a nurse walked in, straight up to the monitors to check them.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid that visiting hours are now over. You come back in a few hours. Ms Benson needs her rest."

Olivia nodded sadly and got up. "See you later, Mom," Olivia said and kissed her mother's forehead before leaving with her supportive husband and sleeping children.


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Hope you like it. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zachary and Chelsea.**

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Olivia walked into her mother's white, sterile hospital room the next morning to find that Serena looked paler and more ill then she had the night before when she had left.

"Morning, Mom," she greeted Serena, pushing Chelsea in the stroller up to the bed.

"Morning Liv. Can I please hold my grandbaby?" she replied, her voice weak as she reached out for Chelsea.

"Sure," Olivia answered and reached into the stroller. "Come on, bubba. Say hi to Nana," she cooed, picking up the six month old and laid her in the awaiting arms of her grandmother. Maybe for one of the last times.

"Hi sweetie-pie," Serena whispered, looking into Chelsea's beautiful crystal blue eyes and kissed her forehead. "You're so beautiful, Chelsea. You're gonna grow up to be strong, independent and gorgeous, just like your mama and powerful and succesful just like your daddy. You're a perfect combination of both your mommy and daddy." She kissed her grand baby's head again with a smile and looked back up at her daughter to see her now sitting on the chair beside the bed. Silent tears falling from her eyes. "Zacy at kindergarten?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes until lunchtime."

"Does he still enjoy it?" Serena asked.

Full of motherly pide, Olivia said, "Yes, he loves going to Kindergaten. He always runs happily down the stairs every morning with his little backpack on his back, bouncing up and down. It's so incrediably cute but you can't tell him that."

Serena laughed a little until a coughing fit stopped her, then she replied. "Thinks just cause he's a boy he can't be cute?" she guessed.

"Yes. He has to be called strong or manly, just like his daddy. He loves to be just like Elliot, it's just the cutest thing."

"I bet it is. I can't believe I've missed out on so much, but when I try to catch up, I find out I'm gonna miss out on everything else that is to come," Serena sniffled and nuzzled Chelsea's warm, baby soft cheek.

In response, Chelsea giggle and kicked her chubby little legs.

Olivia sighed but then tried to lighten up the mood. "It seems that Chelsea here is a Nana's girl."

"Really? You a Nana's girl, cutie-pie?" Serean whispered and nuzzled Chelsea's cheek again. The smile was clearly evident in her voice. She looked at Chelsea's gorgeous blonde ringlets, which were being held back by a silky light pink ribbon. "You know, Liv, you had blonde curls too as a baby. They were so darn cute. You were so darn gorgeous and grew up in to a beautiful, independent woman. I know I never told you that before but it's true," she informed her daughter.  
Olivia smiled. "Thanks, Mom. I got my good looks from you," she half joked.

Chelsea finally decided it was time that she wanted her mommy, so she screeched and squirmed unhappily in Serena's arms.

"Someone wants her mommy," Serena said and passed the baby back to her mother.

Taking her daughter back, Olivia kissed her cheek and began to rub her back in soothing circles. "Hey, hey, bubba. Mommy's got you," she cooed to the infant.

In response, Chelsea immediately began to settle down and cooed, reaching up to Olivia.

"Yeah, beautiful," Olivia laughed and gave Chelsea her finger, which Chelsea took a tight grip on with her whole tiny hand.

Serena watched on from the bed with a smile but was sad that she was going to miss out on so much and it broke her heart. "You're an absolutely amazing mother, Olivia. Even without a positive influence from me as you grew up, like you needed. That I couldn't and wouldn't provide. And I'm sorry about that, baby. You've done me proud though, you've done extremely well for yourself."

Olivia nodded with a small smile. "Thanks, Mom. It's nice to hear you say these things," she said as she laid Chelsea in her stroller to kick at her dangling toys.

"I should have told you these things years ago," Serena confessed softly, reaching out for Olivia's hand.

Olivia accepted it and kissed the back of it. "It's in the past, Mom. Water under the bridge, we've past it."

"I know, Livvy, but I still feel bad."  
Sighing, Olivia looked at her watch. It was time to pick Zac up from kindergarten. "I have to go pick Zacy up and take him to see Elliot at the police academy with lunch," she told her mother, standing up. She kissed Serena's forehead and said, "I'll be back to see you tomorrow, Mom."

"See you, Livvy," Serena said sadly and watched her daughter walk out, pushing the stroller.

* * *

"Mommy!" Zachary squealed happily, seeing his mother there to pick him up. He ran into her welcoming, open arms as she squatted down beside the stroller.

"Hi baby boy," she greeted him, hugging him hello. "How was your morning, Zacy?" She stood up, taking his little hand in her bigger one as she pushed the stroller with her other hand.

As they walked out the school building toward their car in the parking lot, Zac replied, "Yes, I did, Mommy. We did finger painting and played games."

"Cool, lil man," Olivia said, sounding extra enthusiastic just for him.

Reaching the car, Olivia opened the back car door and helped Zac into his booster seat. "Buckle up, kiddo," she told her young son and closed the door before putting Chelsea in her seat.

As Olivia walked around to the driver's seat and got in, Zac buckled himself in. "All buckled in, baby?" Olivia asked, turning to face him briefly.

"Yes, Mommy, all buckled," Zac replied with a cute giggle.

Olivia turned back to the front and started up the engine. "Okay, let's get lunch and then see Daddy at the academy."

Giggling, Zac clapped his hands happily. "We get Daddy's favourite for lunch?"

"Absolutely, Zacy boy," Olivia replied, pulling into the busy traffic outside the school grounds, headed in the direction of the police academy, their favourite restaurant was on the way.

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Arriving at the police academy, they found Elliot sitting out the front, waiting for them.

Olivia pushed the stroller up to the bench and picked Chelsea up, so she could see her daddy. "Say hi to Daddy, Chelsea," she cooed.

"Hi Zacy," Elliot greeted his son and rubbed Zac's head before gently taking his daughter. "Hi princess," he greeted his baby girl holding her up in front of his face.

In response, Chelsea squealed and cooed in delight as her daddy blew a raspberry on her chubby baby belly.

"What about me? Your wife," Olivia joked with a playful roll of her eyes.

Elliot rolled his eyes playfully as well and laughed. "I'd never forget my beautiful wife," he said and wrapped his free arm around her, being careful of Chelsea as he hugged her. "I love you," he whispered and nuzzled noses with her.

"I love you too," Olivia replied and lightly pecked him on the lips. "How's your day been so far, honey?"

"Good. Tiring but good. How's your been, baby?"

"Busy. Chelsea was a little grumpy but she seems much happier now."

"She's probably teething, Liv."

Olivia groaned. "I know, I"m just so tired but I still have so much house work to do when I get home."

"I'll come straight home tonight and help you but for now let's sit down and eat, huh?"

"Yeah," Olivia nodded and sat down at the bench.

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Olivia was just laying a sleeping Chelsea down in her crib after nursing and changing her when she heard the front door open and close. It was Elliot and he was late. Very late. It was just after eight at night and he was supposed to be home at just after five.

"Liv?" Elliot called out softly as he walked through the house. He couldn't find her downstairs, so he headed upstairs, where he found her in Zachary's bedroom. She was sitting on the bed beside Zac, just stroking back his soft dark brown hair as he slept.

"Liv, baby?" he called out softly again as he tip-toed up to the bed using the night light as a guide. He kneeled down the red, blue and black racing car shaped bed and placed a hand on Olivia's pink, flanelette pajama pant clad thigh. "Are you okay, beautiful?"  
Olivia sighed and gently turned her head to face him. He could see the hurt he had caused in her chocolate brown eyes, which she was trying so hard to, unsuccessfully, hide. "Where have you been?!" she hissed.

"Liv, honey, can we please talk about this away from Zac?" Elliot asked as he saw Zac mumble something incoherent in his sleep and rolled over.

Exhaling a deep breath, Olivia allowed Elliot to take her hand and help her up.

"Come on, baby, let's have an early night and I'll explain everything. I promise," he whispered and kissed her cheek, guiding her into the master bedroom.

"Where were you, Elliot?! You promised you'd come straight home to help me with the housework!" she hissed in hurt, frustration and anger as she slipped off her slippers and climbed into bed.

Elliot sighed and took her hand in his, palm up, before dropping something into her hand, whispering, "Open it."


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N: Finally the chapter is here. Please read and review for more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac and Chelsea.**

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Olivia looked at the small, red velvet jewelry box, that Elliot had just placed in her hand. "What is this?"

"Just open it, baby," he coaxed her.

Her hands slightly shook as she tried to open the small, ring sized box. It took a couple attempts but she finally managed to open it up. A gold banded ring with four gem stones beamed at her. Each gem corresponded to each of their birthstones.

"It's beautiful, El," she gasped, a few tears falling as she slid the ring on to her right index finger.

"You didn't really think I forgot your birthday, did you, babe?" he asked, cupping her face in his hands and caressed the apples of her cheeks.

Olivia smiled. "Thank you, El. I love you," she whispered, nuzzling noses with him.

"You're very welcome, my sexy wife. I love you too," he replied, wiping away her tears before he planted a kiss on her lips. "You forgot your own birthday, didn't you?"

Blushing, Olivia nodded. "Too busy fussing about the kids," she replied and shrugged as if it was nothing.

Elliot playfully rolled his eyes and sighed. "I was getting your ring and had to wait around for it, that's why I was late and I'm sorry, but I know that's not an excuse."

"I'm disappointed that you didn't come home to help me with the housework and kids but to be honest, El, I'm not angry anymore," she whispered, gawking at the beautiful ring. It was just as gorgeous and shiny as her engagement and wedding rings. The engagement ring was a Stabler family heirloom and one day she'd pass it down to Zachary to give to his future fiancée. But Olivia couldn't bear to think about her baby boy all grown up. She wanted to continue to live in the present, where her little man was a cute, little kindergartener and her baby girl was slowly learning to crawl, but as of right now, Chelsea just tended to be on her hands and knees and rock back and forth, giggling.

"Earth to Liv?" Elliot laughed and waved a hand in front of her face, trying to attract her attention. "Baby?"

"Huh?" Olivia shook her head, returning to reality. "Sorry what did you say?"

Elliot laughed and pecked him on the lips. "You were in your own little world there, beautiful. Did you send me a postcard?" he joked.

Laughing with Elliot, Olivia poked her tongue out at him. "I'm so tired," she yawned.

"Well, sleep, baby," he told her and gently laid her down.

"But I still need to clean up from dinner, El," she replied through another yawn.

Elliot caressed her cheek and kissed her on the lips, tucking her in. "Sleep, Liv, I'll do it," he said and got up.

Sighing in contentment, Olivia's eyes fluttered shut. "Thanks, El. Love you."

"I love you too, gorgeous. Goodnight."

"Night," Olivia managed to whispered before falling asleep.

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Olivia woke early the next morning to the bright beam of the rising sun coming through the bedroom window and the cries of Chelsea, who was ready to start her day. She untangled herself from Elliot's body, which had been enveloped around her and got up.

"Morning bubba," she cooed as she picked up the bright eyed, cooing, blonde haired infant. "Let's get you changed, huh?"

"Morning Mommy," Zac greeted his mother, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he practically stumbled out of his room, half asleep. Olivia happened to be walking past with Chelsea.

"Morning handsome," she replied, scuffing his messy bed hair with her free hair before taking his smaller hand in her bigger one. "Sleep well?" she asked as they slowly strolled down the stairs, on their way down to the kitchen.

Zachary nodded. "I slept good, Mommy. What 'bout you?"

"I slept well, thank you, Zacy. Hop up into your booster seat, lil man," she said, sitting Chelsea in her highchair.

Zachary climbed up on to the chair, into his booster seat. "What for breakfast, Mommy?"

"Well that would you like, Zacy?"

"Toast with peanut butter please," he replied with the trade mark Stabler grin, which made him look even more like his father's little clone.

"Sure," Olivia replied and made his breakfast, serving him before feeding Chelsea.

Breakfast went peacefully and without a hitch, it was a great family breakfast.

"Come on, sweetie," Olivia cooed playfully as she cleaned Chelsea up before picking her up from the highchair.

Chelsea giggled and snuggled into Olivia.

"Mommy? The phone's ringing," Zachary called out as she walked through the living room.

"Don't yell in the house, Zac," Olivia called back. "I can hear it."

She picked it up, a little nervous that it could be the hospital calling about her mother. "Stabler residence," she greeted, waiting for an answer over the line.

"Hello, is this Mrs Olivia Stabler?" an unfamiliar woman's voice asked.

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?" Olivia asked, sitting Chelsea in her playpen for the moment.

"Yes, this is Doctor Jamie Kraft, from Mercy General Hospital. I'm one of your mother, Serena Benson's, physicians," the woman introduced herself.

"Is... is my mother alright?" Olivia asked, beginning to panic, but trying to keep it together. Zachary was standing in front of watching her and Chelsea had even stopped playing with her doll and looked up at Olivia.

The doctor sighed over the phone line. "I'm afraid she hasn't got much time left. You should come in to say your goodbyes," she explained, compassionately.

Olivia couldn't help but lose her fight against the tears. The reality that she was going to lose her mother any day now was hitting her hard. She sniffled. "I just need to get in contact with my husband and we'll be there," she replied and hung up.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Zachary asked in concern, looking up at her.

Olivia sighed. "Go get ready, bud. We're going to the hospital to see Nana."

"Yay!" Zachary cheered happily and ran upstairs to get ready.

Trying to hold herself together, Olivia picked the phone up again and called the academy to get in contact with Elliot. He was in class, so all she could do was get an emergency message sent to him.

"Zacy, you ready to go, kiddo?" she asked, heading into the nursery to get the diaper bag.

"Yes, Mommy, I ready," he replied, walking out of his room, complete with the picture he had drawn for Serena, in hand.

"Okay, bud, I've just gotta get Chelsea from her playpen and then we're good to go," she told him as they headed downstairs together.

"Mommy, you okay?" he asked as they reached the bottom of the staircase. He had picked up on the tension in her body.

Olivia sighed and bit her bottom lip, sometimes she had to admit that Zac was just like his father, having the ability to read her like an open book. She didn't want to worry her five year old son. "I'm fine, Zacy boy, let's get in the car, so we can go see Nana."

Zac nodded and ran to the car, excitedly.

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Arriving at the hospital, Olivia headed straight to her mother's hospital room, only to discover that she couldn't get into the room.

She caught a glimpse through the gap of the blind and gasped.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Zac asked from his position beside the stroller, holding on.

"Uh, n, nothing, baby," Olivia replied. She didn't have the heart to tell her young son that there were doctors and nurses crowded around his grandmother. One doctor even shocking Serena's heart with the electric paddles. That was definitely something she didn't think he should have in his young, innocent mind. She shouldn't even have it in her own mind.

Zachary nodded. "When we go in Nana's room? Why is the door closed?" he asked in confusion.

"Cause... cause Nana's doctor is just checking her, they need... privacy for that," she made up for his benefit.

"Okay," Zac replied, believing her. In his mind, everything his mommy told him was the complete and honest truth.

"Liv!" Elliot called, running down the hall to her. "What's going on, baby?" he asked concerned, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly in an effort to offer comfort.

"I... They're... They're shocking her, El," she whispered in tears. "She can't die."

"Oh, baby," Elliot sympathized, rubbing her back. "Breath, beautiful," he whispered and kissed the side of her head.

Suddenly the hospital room door opened and all the doctors and nurses filed out. One in particular doctor headed over to Olivia and Elliot with a grim look on her face. "Mr and Mrs Stabler?"

"Yes," Elliot answered for himself and Olivia.

"I'm Doctor Kraft..."


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N: Sorry for the delay but things came up. Please read and review if you want more.**

**Disclaimer: Only own the doctor, Zac and Chelsea.**

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"I'm Doctor Kraft, I'm sorry to inform you but your mother, Serena Benson, had a heart attack," the doctor informed her sympathically.

Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia to hold her up before she dropped to the floor. "Thank you, Doctor," Elliot thanked her as he turned Olivia to him and he held her close as she sobbed painfully.

"You can see her and say goodbye, if you would like," Dr Kraft replied and walked away to check on another patient.

"It's okay, baby, let it all out," Elliot whispered, rubbing her back as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Why? Why? El, we were just getting our relationship to where we wanted it," Olivia cried, clutching Elliot's shirt tightly.

"Mommy? Mommy, you okay?" Zachary asked concerned, pulling on her pants.

Trying to calm herself down, Olivia took a few slow, deep breaths and bent down to pick Zachary up. She took a couple more deep, agonizingly slow breaths to stop herself from sobbing before kissing his cheek.

"Mommy, are you okay? Is Nana okay? We see her now?" he asked, placing a hand on her cheek.

Olivia sobbed again and before Elliot could say something to Zac, she bet him to the punch. "I'm very sorry, little man, but Nana was too sick and the nice doctor couldn't make her better..."

"But she'll get better, right?" he asked hopeful, cutting her off.

Shaking her head, Olivia sniffled. "I'm afraid not, Zacy-boy. Nana is now in Heaven."

"With God?" he asked, resting his head on her shoulder.

Olivia nodded, sadly. "Yes, baby. She's gone to be with God. But she'll watch over us from Heaven," she replied softly, rubbing his back.

"Oh. But she..." Zac started to say but then cut himself off.

"She what, bud?" Olivia asked softly, wondering what he wanted to tell her. When he tried to hide his face in the curve of her shoulder and neck, Olivia sighed. "Talk to me, baby. Nana what?"

In response, Zac just shook his head, indicating that the conversation about his nana was over. He was finished talking.

"Maybe we should go in there and say goodbye, baby," Elliot gently suggested, rubbing the small of her back in soothing circles.

Olivia sighed and shook her head. She wasn't sure if she could do it. She couldn't say goodbye to her own mother, especially when she'd never see her again. Serena would never be back.

"I know it's hard, Liv, trust me, I know... But you needa say goodbye," he whispered and pecked her lightly on the lips, caressing her left cheek with his right hand.

Olivia pushed his hand away. "Don't tell me what I need to do or don't need to do," she snapped out of pain.

"Baby, I..." Elliot tried to explain and apologize.

Shaking her head, Olivia put up the hand that wasn't holding her son. "Don't. Please don't, El," she whispered through her tears before carrying Zac into the hospital room.

"Mommy?" Zac asked as Olivia stood him on the floor since he was getting too heavy for her to keep holding.

Olivia bit her bottom lip, trying to keep her emotionsin check for Zac's sake but it was just getting too hard and she was quickly losing the battle.

When she didn't reply, Zachary sighed and tried again, pulling on her pant leg. "Mommy? Mommy?"  
"Yes, Zac?" Olivia asked. She'd only just managed to stop herself from accidentally snapping at him.

"Why is Nana not moving? What's that coming outta her mouth?" he asked, pointing to the tube that the doctor had left, which had been used to provide oxygen when they tried to revive her.

Olivia lifted Zachary up and stood him on the chair beside the bed. "Nana's gone to Heaven, remember? That's why she's not moving."

"Oh yeah," Zac replied through a sniffle. "What's that in her mouth?" he asked again.

Sighing, Olivia sat on the side of the bed and took Serena's cold, lifeless hand in both of hers. "They used it to give her oxygen, baby, while they were trying to make her better," she just managed to explain before a sob escaped from her throat, despite her attempts to hold it down.

She kissed the back of Serena's hand. "Goodbye, Mom. I'll always love you," she whispered tearfully before prying herself to let go and get up. "Say goodbye to Nana, baby," she whispered, picking him up and leaning over so he could reach.

Zac rested a hand on her cold cheek and kissed her on the forehead. "Bye bye, Nana. I love you and I'll miss you," he whispered tearfully.

"Come on, kiddo." Olivia carries him back out of the hospital room. "Take me home please, El."

"Sure, baby," he whispered and softly caressed her cheek before planting a passionate kiss on her lips. "Wanna put the kids down for a nap and cuddle for a while? Just relax?"

"Yes please, El," Olivia nodded and passed Zac to him. "Zacy's getting too heavy," she tried to explain as she took the handles of the stroller, containing sleepy Chelsea.

"That's okay, Liv," he said, adjusting Zac on his hip as Zac hid his face in his shoulder. "No need to explain. Let's go home, huh?" he assured her and guided his wife and children to the elevator.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Elliot woke up alone. His eyes snapped open and he rolled over. Olivia wasn't in bed with him. He looked at the clock, it was already just after nine. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep on her when he promised that he wouldn't.

"Liv?" he softly called as he got up and headed toward the bathroom to look for her. "Liv?" he called again, opening the bathroom door. I was empty.

He headed down the stairs and sighed in relief when he found his family. Olivia was talking to someone on the phone and writing down important information on a pad of paper, Zachary was quietly watching a tape, eating a bowl of cereal, which he had resting on his lap; and Chelsea was sitting in her playpen with a purple pacifier in her mouth and playing with her favourite teddy bear.

"Morning baby," Elliot whispered and reached over the back of the couch to kiss her. "How long you been up?"

"Morning hon," she replied, once she hung up the phone. "I barely slept at all. Right now, I'm trying to make... funeral arrangements," she whispered, trying to stay strong.

Elliot walked around to the front of the couch and squatted in front of her. "You don't need to force yourself to stay strong, baby," he gently told her, cupping the side of her face in his right hand and caressed her chee. "I know it hurts, Liv, but don't bottle it up. Let it all out before it overfills and you explode, sweetheart."

A sob escaped from Olivia's throat and she wrapped her arms around him, falling into his welcoming embrace. "Why, El? It wasn't supposed to happen like this," she cried into his shoulder.

Seeing his mother crying, Zac put his new empty bowl on to the coffee table and crawled along the couch, over to her. "Mommy? Mommy, I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

Olivia sniffled and let go of Elliot, wiping away her tears. "Baby, what are you talking about?" she asked, sitting her son on her lap, facing her, so she could give him her full eye contact. "You didn't do anything wrong," she assured him, brushing back his hair.

"You were crying, Mommy," he retorted and reached out to caress her cheek, just like he had seen his father do many times in his young life.

"I know, Zacy, I just miss my own mommy. Could you please keep Chelsea company while Mommy and Daddy talk privately in the kitchen?" she asked and kissed his cheek.

Zachary nodded and jumped off her lap. "Sure, Mommy," he replied and headed over to the playpen.

"Come on, Liv, let's talk, huh?" Elliot said, picking up the note pad that she'd written information on and took her hand in his free one.

Olivia nodded and let Elliot guide her into the kitchen.

They sat down side by side and were quiet for a moment before Elliot spoke up. "You called any of her friends yet?"

"Some of them. Still have about half a dozen left to call," she replied, running a shaky hair though her hair.

Elliot nodded and read handwritten information. "You've gotten a lot done in a short amount of time though, Liv. So you're thinking of having her funeral at the church she attended, with her favourite flowers and song playing?"

"Yeah," Olivia whispered with a nod. "And she wants to be cremated," she informed him. "She told me the other day at the hospital."

"Okay, we can arrange that," Elliot said and placed a hand on top of hers on the table. "Anything else that she told you she wanted?"

Biting her bottom lip, Olivia thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, that was all she told me," she answered.

"Okay," Elliot nodded. "You rung the church yet?"

"Yeah, that's who I was on the phone with when you got up."

"Is it arranged?"

"They're gonna get back to me," she just managed to inform him before they were interrupted.

"Mommy! Chelsea stinks!" Zachary called from the living room.

Olivia smiled a little and shook her head as she got up. "Back to Mommy Mode. Time to change a poopy diaper but then we'll finish making more arrangement," she told Elliot and walked into the living room.


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Here it is finally. I hope you enjoy it and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.**

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Nine days later, Olivia walked into the church that her mother worshiped at. The baby safely secured and asleep in the pouch on her chest, Elliot by her side, his hand in his as she clutched it tightly and Zachary walked on Elliot's other side.

It was a rough morning for the Stablers. It was Serena's funeral.

Olivia continued to be brave as she released Elliot's hand, keeping her other firmly planted on Chelsea's back as she walked up to mother's open casket at the front of the church.

She sighed and kissed Chelsea's head, looking down at her mother's lifeless body. "Why, Mom, why?" she cried softly. "Why did you ignore your health? Why did you leave me? Leave your grandchildren? Zachary and Chelsea barely got a chance to know you," she sobbed as Elliot wrapped an arm around her and placed a light kiss on her temple.

"It's gonna be okay, baby," he whispered in her ear and kissed her there. "She'll be watching over us from Heaven," he tried to assure her.

With a sigh, Olivia nodded and turned to her quietly sniffling son. "Zacy, baby, wanna say goodbye to Nana before everyone comes?" she asked softly, leaning over, being careful of the baby.

After a painful sob, little Zachary nodded, wiping away a tear.

"El?" Olivia asked silently with her eyes, gesturing to their son.

Elliot nodded and kissed Olivia on the lips before lifting up the five year old and resting him on his hip, so that Zachary could see into the casket.

"Nana?" Zachary whispered through another sob, looking down at the lifeless body of one of grandparents. He only had one grandparent left to spoil him now. His Grammy. "Why you leave us? Don't you love us?" he asked, sniffling as his daddy lovingly rubbed his little back. "We gonna miss you, Nana," he finished and turned into his father's chest to cry more.

"Let it all out, buddy," Elliot whispered to the little boy and kissed his head. "Nana will always love you, son," he assured Zachary and kissed his head again. "She's watching over us from Heaven."

Olivia moved around and wrapped her arms around Elliot, being careful of the kids between them. "That's right," she agreed tearfully. "We're going to be okay... We're gonna be okay, baby boy," she whispered and kissed the back of Zachary's head as they cried together as a family.

The clearing of someone's throat is what pulled Elliot and Olivia away from one another. Olivia turned around to see the aunt that she had not seen since she was about seven or eight years old. Serena's older sister had moved to Seattle and it had been like Serena and Olivia just suddenly didn't exist anymore.

"Olivia?" the aging woman with dyed auburn red hair asked to make sure, blinking as she took in her now adult niece's appearance.

"Yes?" Olivia replied, coolly, as she rubbed a now awakening Chelsea's back.

"It's me," the woman said, pointing to her self. When she didn't get a response from Olivia, she assumed that Olivia didn't recognized who she was.

"It's me," she said again, "Aunt Julie. Your mom's sister. Remember me?"

With a nod, Olivia took Elliot's hand in hers again and clenched it tightly.

Elliot clenched back to let her know, it was okay. He was there for her, wasn't going anywhere.

"Yes, I know... What do you want from me exactly?" she asked, glaring at her estranged aunt as she rubbed her baby daughter's back.

Julie sighed, knowing that her niece was in fact not pleased to see her, like she had hoped she would be... Especially after all this time. "Okay, give it to me, Olivia. All of it, don't hold back," she told Olivia softly.

Confused, Olivia furrowed her eyebrow."Give you what?" she spat, leaning into Elliot, careful of Zac, who was still perched on Elliot's hip.

"What you feel you need to say to me, Olivia," Julie informed Olivia gently.

"Who said I had anything to say to you?" Olivia grumbled, shaking her head.

Rubbing her arm with his free hand, Elliot whispered, "Hear her out, babe."

Olivia spun around to face Elliot, accidentally waking up the baby in the carrier on her chest. She rubbed Chelsea's back as she glared at her husband. "Do not tell me what to do right now!" she snared at him, tears in her eyes. "You do not know what happened the last time I saw her!" she yelled and turned to her aunt. "You didn't want to know me then... And I don't want to know you now! Excuse me!" she finished and stormed off. She needed to calm both herself and her infant daughter down. The funeral was due to start shortly so she had to make it quickly.

She pushed open the front door and walked outside, inhaling a big, deep breath. Sucking in the fresh, cold air.

Feeling herself calming down, she looked down at Chelsea, who was also calming down, feeling the tension leaving her mommy's body.

"Sorry, baby girl. Mommy's sorry," she cooed, fixing up Chelsea's pink and black ribbons, which were holding in her little piggy tails.

"Livvy?" Elliot's soft, gentle but deep voice interrupted her as he walked out to check on her. "Baby, what's goin' on?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"She abandoned me," she admitted.

"How, baby? She's your aunt," he whispered, cupping her face in his hand and caressing her cheek with thumb.

"Where's Zachary?" she asked concerned, and changing the subject.

Elliot sighed. "With his aunts Casey and Alex. Now don't change the subject, baby," he told her softly and kissed her nose.

Tears began to well up in Olivia's eyes and she opened her mouth to tell Elliot but the doors opened.

"Olivia, we're about to begin," her Aunt Julie said sadly before walking back into the church.

Taking her hand in his and said, "Come on, Livvy. You can tell me after."

Olivia nodded and they walked back inside to hear Serena's favourite song playing as everyone sat down and the funeral began.

"It's okay, babe," Elliot tried to assure her again once he heard her sob again.

Reaching the pew right at the front on the left, Elliot helped her sit down beside Zachary who was sitting beside his loving aunts before sitting down himself beside her, holding her close, being careful of Chelsea.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Watching her mother's casket slowly go deeper and deeper into the grave, Olivia leaned deeper and deeper into her husband's hold.

"Let it out, baby, let it out, it's okay," Elliot kept murmuring as he rubbed her arms from behind her.

The casket reached the bottom, everyone slowly departed, leaving just Elliot, Olivia and the kids.

"Come on, baby," Elliot whispered, taking her hand in his.

Sniffling, Olivia shook her head, her eyes not moving off her mother's new resting place.

Chelsea's cries startled her and she finally tore her eyes away.

"It's okay, Chels," she cooed, rubbing the baby's back as she finally allowed Elliot to lead her back to the car. "We're going home now, sweet-pea," she whispered and kissed her head.

Elliot opened one of the back car doors. "Hop in, bud," he said and helped Zachary into his car-seat before buckling him in. "Livvy?" he asked, shutting the door, and turning to her. She hadn't moved an inch since they had reached the car. Her eyes and hands locked onto their little girl. And it didn't look like she was going to let Chelsea go anytime soon, if she had any say about it. "Livvy?" he asked again, this time a little louder, putting his hands on her arms, rubbing them up and down. "Are you going to put Chels in her car-seat so we can go home?" he asked, very gently.

Sighing, Olivia looked up from Chelsea to Elliot, back down to Chelsea, who was awake and gurgling at her. "Okay," she whispered and walked around to the other side of the car, where Elliot opened the door for her.

"You want me to put her in, baby?" he asked, reaching for the child.

Olivia nodded once and unbuckled the front of it as Elliot lifted Chelsea out to put her in the baby car-seat as Olivia took the pouch off of her chest.


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N: Next chapter. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Only own Zac and Chelsea.**

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Laying on the couch that night, Olivia just stared silently at a photo framed on the wall. It was a professionally taken family portrait. A portrait of her, Elliot, Serena and the kids. Beside that photo was a photo of just her, Serena and Chelsea. Three generations of Benson females. All three in matching blue jeans, and white blouses, or in Chelsea's case, she was wearing frilly white t-shirt, sitting on Olivia's lap. A third on the opposite side of the family portrait was of the two Stabler men, well man and boy. Elliot and Zachary. Wearing the same aas the girls. Matching blue jeans and white shirts.

Olivia was proud of the three photos and they would not being coming off that wall unless they moved houses.

"Mommy!" Zachary ran into the living room in his pajamas, freshly clean from bath.

Hearing her little man run into the room, calling her, Olivia cleared her throat and sat up. She put on a fake smile and opened her arms for him to run into. "Hey little man," she greeted him and kissed his head, inhaling his freshly washed hair. "Ready for bed, huh?"

Nodding, Zachary looked up and planted a sloppy kiss on his mother's lips. "Night night, Mommy. I love you."

"I love you too, Zacy. Night night, baby boy. Sweet dreams," Olivia whispered back and kissed his head again before looking up to see Elliot standing up in the doorway.

"We'll talk real soon," he mouthed to her with a small sad smile before guiding their son back toward his bedroom.

"Daddy?" Zachary whispered softly as his daddy tucked him into bed.

"Yes, champ?" Elliot replied, brushing back the boy's shaggy hair, so he could see his son's eyes.

"Why Mommy faking to be happy?" he asked sadly.

"How do you know that Mommy was faking, kiddo?" he asked curiously.

Zachary sighed and bit his bottom lip. "I know Mommy, Daddy," he replied simply as if it explained everything.

"Of course you know Mommy, Zac, but what do you mean exactly?" Elliot asked, scuffling the boy's hair.

"I know when Mommy is happy and when she's sad, Daddy. I can read Mommy's emotions," Zachary admitted.

Elliot looked at his young son in shock. He was stunned at not just the words that he had selected to use at his young age, but also at the fact at despite his age he could already read Olivia. Elliot thought that only he could read his wife.

"Don't worry your little head about that, little man," Elliot whispered and leaned over to kiss Zachary on the head. "Let Daddy deal with Mommy, huh? Mommy is just sad about Nana, okay?"

Zachary nodded. "Okay. Night night, Daddy," he whispered and closed his eyes.

"Night night, bud," Elliot said and turned off Zac's lamp before turning on the nightlight on his way out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Olivia stood with a sigh and walked over to the living room window. She still couldn't believe that she had buried her own mother that morning... They'd just been repairing their damaged relationship and what hurt was the fact that they'd never get that chance. She missed her mother. So much. And she'd have to get used to the fact that she'd never see her again.

"Livvy?" Elliot whispered, accidentally startling Olivia as he walked up to her.

She must have lost concept of time because she didn't know how long she'd been standing there, just staring out the window. She smiled sadly and sunk into her loving husband's embrace. "Hey El," she whispered, continuing to stare out.

"It seems our little, intelligent son can read you as well as I can," he spoke softly and kissed her cheek.

"Huh? What? You can't be serious?" she whispered, turning around in his arms to face him.

"He told me, baby... He saw right through your fake smile as you both said goodnight," he informed her and kissed her on the lips.

Olivia groaned. "Lovely. Next Chelsea will be able to, then I'm completely screwed... Can't hide anything anymore," she said and sighed.

"No... Cause it's not healthy too, sweetie," he told her gently and kissed her again.

The room was silent for a moment before, Elliot bit the bottom of his lip and kissed Olivia on the nose. "Wanna tell me about your Aunt Julie? How did she abandoned you, baby?"

Olivia sighed and pulled him toward the couch. "Not really but okay."

Sitting down on the couch, Elliot gently pulled Olivia down on his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Olivia wrapped her arms around her husband's neck loosely and rested her head on his shoulder. Preparing herself to recount her story about herself and her Aunt Julie to her husband.

"Every time my mother went into rehab or was locked up for the night for drunken offenses..." she started softly before biting her bottom lip and continuing. "My aunt Julie was supposed to be my legal guardian. But every time the time came up..." She licked her dry lips. "She'd ring around to find someone else to look after me... So a lot of the time, I spent a night or two... Sometimes more with complete strangers. Friends of my mom and aunt. You know? I could never understand why," she whispered, ending in a sarcastic laugh.

"Baby," Elliot murmured, rubbing her back, but Olivia cut her off.

"I was a well behaved child. She would have barely known I was there... I barely said a word. I'd come home from school, have a snack, then jump straight into my homework. Before cooking my own dinner and watch a little television. I'd then have a bath and go to bed." She sighed. "I was so independent. I had to be... My mother did barely anything for me..."

"Oh, baby," Elliot sympathized, still rubbing her back.

Olivia exhaled a deep breath slowly and continued her story. "About six months before Aunt Julie moved, my mom was charged with a DUI, with me in the car, mind you. Her sentence was six months Rehabilitation. I was supposed to go live with Julie during that time. But then she decided it was a good idea to pawn me off to someone else and move," Olivia said sadly and sniffled. "I was dumped in foster care for nearly a year because either my mom didn't want me back straight away... Or she couldn't find me. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive her."

Elliot kissed her head and asked, "Who, Livvy? Your mother or your Aunt Julie?"

Closing her eyes, Olivia whispered, "My aunt. But I guess there are also things I'll never forgive my mom for... But I still love her and I'm going to miss her so much, every day," she concluded her story with a sob.

With a sad sigh, Elliot held his wife as she cried, letting out years of harbored feelings and memories.


	62. Chapter 62

**A/N: If I start getting enough interest again, I'll make the chapters longer again.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the story.**

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Olivia was woken the next morning by the early morning sun's rays seeping in through the window. She stretched and opened her eyes, to find herself in her and Elliot's bed.

"Go back to sleep, baby," Elliot whispered and rolled over toward her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I have to get up for the kids, El," she replied, half asleep.

"No, lay back down, Livvy," Elliot replied, holding her a little tighter.

"Elliot, the kids," she said again, trying to break out of his grasp.

"They're at my mom's," he informed her and kissed the back of her head.

"What?" Olivia gasped, "Since when?"

"Last night, baby. I arranged it after you fell asleep on the couch."

"Why?" she asked, not knowing how she should feel at that certain moment.

Rubbing her bare belly under her camisole, Elliot whispered, "for us to spend some time together." He kissed the cheek. "I have a surprise for you today. But first, we'll continue to cuddle, then we'll have a nice breakfast. How's that sound?"

Olivia smiled as she leaned further back into her loving husband. "Sounds perfect. Thanks, babe," she whispered and turned her head to kiss him on the lips.

Elliot, very willingly, returned the kiss and continued to hold her, till he decided, well his stomach decided, that it was time for breakfast.

"I'll get you some breakfast in bed," he said, getting up, only for Olivia to grab a hold of his wrist to gently stop him.

"No, I want to have breakfast, picnic style," she said, smiling.

Elliot furrowed his brows. "Say what?" he laughed lightly.

"Well," she began, standing up and making her way around the bed to Elliot. "I would like to sit out in the backyard and cuddle as we eat on a blanket under the big tree," she explained and pressed a light kiss on the lips.

Elliot returned the kiss and pulled back smiling. "Sounds wonderful to me. Have a shower while I make us some food."

Olivia kissed him and turned to headed into the bathroom, jumping when Elliot slapped her ass with a laugh. "Watch it, mister," she laughed with him and headed into the bathroom.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Olivia hadn't entered the kitchen after half an hour, Elliot was concerned.

"Liv?" he called softly, heading into the bedroom. It was empty. He moved closer to the bathroom door and heard the shower still running, causing him to furrow his eyebrows. What was she still doing in the shower? He knocked on the door before slowly opening it, to reveal Olivia's silhouette. She was sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms around them as she cried.

Elliot sighed. "Livvy?" he spoke softly as he stripped out of his boxer shorts.

"I'll be out in a minute," she sniffled, not moving a muscle.

Of course, Elliot didn't listen, he pulled the glass door over and stepped in, closing it behind him. "Baby, come here," he cooed and helped her up.

Olivia didn't fight it, she wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest.

"Baby, baby, it's going to be okay. Let it all out," he murmured, rubbing her wet back and running his fingers through her drenched hair.

She continued to cry into his chest, refusing to let go of him.

"Have you washed your hair yet?" he asked, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

She shook her head. "Didn't get that far," she sniffled again.

Grabbing the bottle of shampoo, Elliot said, "That's no problem." He squirted a quarter size amount into his hand and proceeded to wash her hair, making sure to provide a nice massage to the point where his wife moaned in pleasure.

Olivia had stopped the shower love before it got too steamy. "I'm sorry, El... I just... I..." she tried to explain herself but Elliot stopped her by placing a kiss to her lips as he reached behind him to turn off the taps.

"No problem, baby," he assured her and grabbed a towel, opening it for her. "I completely understand." He wrapped it around her and grabbed his own. "Let's just get dressed and eat, huh? I really wanna show you this surprise that I have up my sleeve."

Drying herself with the giant fluffy, pink towel, Olivia couldn't help but smile. "Can't you just tell me what it is?"

Elliot laughed as he followed Olivia into the bedroom to get dressed. "No, you'll have to wait and see."

"Damn!" she laughed. "It was worth a try."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The romantic breakfast went by smoothly and now it was just after half past nine. Elliot was guiding a blindfolded Olivia into the passenger seat of their car.

"El, this is making me feel really uncomfortable. I don't really like it," Olivia uttered as Elliot buckled her in.

"Liv, baby, you trust me, don't you?" he asked, caressing her cheek.

Olivia nodded, silently hoping that the blindfold would move enough to provide her to see a little. "Of course I do... With my life. With the lives of our children. And I don't trust my babies with anyone. You're my husband, the father of my two gorgeous babies. So of course I trust you," she replied honestly.

"Then let me guide you to the surprise I have for you," he whispered and caressed her cheek again before closing the car door and walking around to the driver's side.

About ten minutes later, Elliot slowed and pulled into a car park.

"We there yet?" Olivia asked, going to take off the blindfold but was quickly stopped by Elliot.

"Wait, Liv," he told her as he pulled into a spot in the empty car park. Glad it was a school day, so there were no kids around.

He shut off the vehicle's engine and took out the key. He got out and quickly made his way around to the other side to help Olivia out.

"Okay," he whispered and took off the blindfold. "Surprise!"

"A playground?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brows. "Why did you bring me to a playground?" She was confused.

Elliot took her hand in his and nodded. "Yeah, you know I do listen when you tell me stuff, Livvy... You never got to be a proper kid and play. Kids are in school, so here's your chance."

"Wow!" Olivia sniffled. She was so happy and thankful. Glad she had such a wonderful husband. "I love you so much," she thanked him and gave him a deep, passionate kiss.

Elliot pulled away when his body begged for oxygen. "You're very welcome, baby. Have fun," he said and turned to sit on the bench.

"Nuh-uh!" she said, grabbing his wrist to stop him.

Elliot tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Huh? What, Liv?"

"You're coming with me... I'm not playing alone," she laughed and pulled him over to the playground. She couldn't believe that she was going to do this. A twenty something year old, mother of two and she was about to play on a playground. And not with her children but with her husband. She smiled, she was willing to try anything once. And she was thankful for her wonderful husband's gesture. It made her love him even more.


End file.
